The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are conducting the “Winter-2025 Exercise” in Kars under harsh winter conditions and deep snow. Managed by the 3rd Army Command and directed by the 9th Corps Command, the exercise includes participation from the Ministry of National Defense, General Staff, Land, Naval, Air, and Special Forces Commands, as well as civil institutions. In total, 12,199 personnel from 20 nations — including the United States, Azerbaijan, Italy, Pakistan, France, the United Kingdom, Libya, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Tajikistan — are taking part.

The large-scale multinational exercise aims to enhance joint operational capabilities, test combat performance in winter warfare, and evaluate the effectiveness of domestically developed defense technologies. Scenarios include mortar fire missions, search and rescue drills, special forces infiltration operations, and synchronized fire maneuvers. Soldiers operate in temperatures as low as -25°C, challenging their endurance, coordination, and combat readiness in extreme terrain.

A key highlight of the exercise is the first-ever field use of ASELSAN’s ZMA-X unmanned armored combat vehicle, capable of both remote-controlled and autonomous movement. The exercise also features the HERİKKS (Air Defense Early Warning and Command Control System), Fire Management Information Systems, KARGU loitering munitions, CİRİT and UMTAS missiles, KN-12 sniper rifles, and next-generation domestic CBRN protective gear. These indigenous systems demonstrated Türkiye’s increasing defense self-sufficiency and battlefield precision.

In a moving moment, families of martyrs and veterans were invited to observe the exercise. The training ground, named after Martyr Senior Sergeant İlhan Hamlı, hosted his brother Ayhan Hamlı, who expressed deep pride: “After 33 years, I feel as if I’ve reunited with my brother. Seeing his name honored here fills us with pride. The Turkish Army is stronger than ever.”

Observed by Major General Tuncay Altuğ (9th Corps Commander) and Brigadier General Şahin Yenilmez (14th Mechanized Brigade Commander), the Winter-2025 Exercise once again highlights the TSK’s resilience, high-level coordination, and mastery of locally produced defense technologies under extreme operational conditions.