Fifty nations are gathered in Seferihisar as Türkiye’s largest combined joint live-fire exercise enters its final days, with autonomous drone swarms, carrier-launched unmanned combat vehicles and a homegrown layered air defense system taking center stage on Tuesday.
Locally-produced Karayel patrol boat debuted in its first exercise, off the coast of Izmir, western Türkiye, May 14, 2026. (AA Photo)
EFES 2026, which has been running since April 20 in the Doğanbey region of Izmir’s Seferihisar district, is set to conclude on May 21 following the Distinguished Observer Day on May 20, where defense ministers and military chiefs from all 50 participating countries will observe the final live-fire maneuvers.
A view of TCG Anadolu, which participated in the exercise, off the coast of Izmir, western Türkiye, May 18, 2026. (AA Photo)
With 10,388 personnel in the field, including 1,305 from allied and partner nations, the exercise has drawn one of the most geographically diverse participant rosters in its history. NATO allies, including the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, are training alongside Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Malaysia, while Japan, Sweden, Somalia and Rwanda are also among the 50 countries taking part. Highlights in terms of participation were Syria and Libya. For the first time since the fall of the decadeslong Baathist regime, the Syrian army joined the exercise. The exercise also brought together rival military forces in Libya’s west and east for the first time.
