The acronym TUSLOG stands for The United States
Logistics Group. With its headquarters in Ankara, TUSLOG, an air division-level
organization, serves as the primary command element in Turkey of Sixteenth
Air Force, US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). TUSLOG not only commands various
USAFE units, but also supports all other US military organizations and
government agencies in Turkey.
TUSLOG evolved from the growing Turkish-American alliance that
began shortly after World War II. Upon its conclusion, the Soviet Union
demanded territorial concessions from Turkey in addition to military bases
on the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, revision of the Montreaux Straits Convention
which governed shipping in that body of water, and revision of the boundary
in European Turkey in favor of communist Bulgaria. Turkey rejected these
demands and feared armed Soviet intervention. In response to Soviet pressure
on Turkey and Soviet encouragement of communist guerrillas in Greece, President
Harry Truman delivered a speech to Congress on 12 March 1947 in which he
proposed assistance to those two countries in order to counter Soviet actions.
Thls speech became the basls of the "Truman Doctrine" of opposition to
Soviet imperialism and marked a turning point in Turkish-American relations.
Henceforth the US would be Turkey's major source of support against the
power to the north.
To the great satisfaction of the Turks, American military aid began
to flow almost Immediately. By mid May 1947, Congress had appropriated
$100 million for Turkey. A few months later, an American military mission,
the Joint American Military Mission for Aid to Turkey (JAMMAT, renamed
Joint United States Military Mission for Aid to Turkey, JUSMMAT in 1958)
was established in Ankara to direct and monitor this aid under the authority
of the American ambassador. The US Air Force component of JAMMAT was the
1172d Foreign Mission Squadron (also called the JAMMAT US Air Force Group
or USAFG). The JAMMAT-USAFG helped provide the Turkish Air Force with American
aircraft and training and beginning in 1948, was responsible for directing
the construction or modernization of a number of Turkish air bases: Balikesir
Diyarbakir, Bandirma, Eskisehir, Merzifon, Batman, Adana (Incirllk), and
Izmir (Cigli).
The American presence in Turkey was expanded in April 1948 with
the announcement of the Marshall Plan. Whereas the Truman Doctrine had
been designed primarily to provide military aid, the Marshall Plan was
meant to help rebuild the war-ravaged economies of Europe. Although a neutral
during the war, Turkey nevertheless received a large amount of money and
equipment, as well as technical advisors, under this plan. These aid programs
proved to be mutually beneficial and contributed to a strong alliance between
Turkey and the US. Indeed when the NATO alliance was created in April 1949,
Ankara immediately expressed a desire to join. Turkey's lobbying effort
in this respect culminated in 1950, when at the outbreak of the Korean
War, she sent a brigade of 4,500 men to fight for the UN. This brigade's
outstanding combat performance in some of the fiercest battles of the war
won universal praise from military experts In fact, the Turks had the highest
casualty rate of any UN contingent engaged in the fighting. This contributed
enormously to sympathy for the admission of Turkey to NATO, which finally
occurred, together with that of Greece, in February 1952.
In accordance with the conditions of NATO membership, Turkey signed
the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which granted official status and
certain privileges to military members, civilian component and dependents
of a signatory nation stationed in another NATO country. The Turkish Government
ratified the SOFA on 10 March 1954 and signed a Military Facilities Agreement
and other implementing agreements on 23 June of the same year. While these
documents were general in nature, often requiring specific supplementary
written or verbal arrangements, they effectively set the stage for the
arrival of large numbers of Americans in Turkey. Indeed, the US presence
in the country grew rapidly, often showing few signs of central planning
or control. By 1959, there were at least 20 different military commands
and civilian agencies of the US Government in Turkey. More than 1,200 people
were assigned to JAMMAT (then JUSMMAT) alone. By 1966, the number of Americans
from the Department of Defense in Turkey reached more than 30,000. The
work of these people was as varied as the organizations they represented.
Apart from JUSMMAT, there were two NATO regional headquarters in Izmir
(Allied Land Forces Southeast Europe and Sixth Allied Tactical Air Force,
activated in September 1952 and October 1953 respectively), the headquarters
of the Central Treaty Organization in Ankara (CENTO evolved from the Baghdad
Pact of 1954 and was disbanded in 1979), numerous links in the US Defense
Communications System, NATO Air Defense Ground Environment stations, US
Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force units. The latter in particular
managed aerial ports, warehouses and depots, commissaries and exchanges,
aircraft and air crews on both training and combat-ready status, and even
schools. Although all American personnel were in Turkey as part of NATO's
commitment to the defense of Europe, the diversity of the organizations
and units, however, caused much bureaucratic confusion from the outset.
Management efficiency studies were frequently made but no central headquarters
was ever established.
|