Camp TURKSOM

Camp TURKSOM (Somali: Xerada TURKSOM)
Garrison of the Somali Armed Forces
Type	Military base and National Defence University
Site information
Controlled by	Somalia Turkey
Site history
Built	September 2017 (2017-09)
In use	September 30, 2017 – present
Garrison information
Current commander	Chief of Defence Forces Colonel Mehmet Yasin Kalın
Garrison	All branches of the Somali Armed Forces & Somali-Turkish Task Force "African Eagle"

Camp TURKSOM (Somali: Xerada TURKSOM, Turkish: Somali Türk Görev Kuvveti Komutanlığı) is a military base and a defence university, since its inception, Camp TURKSOM served as the main hub of the intergovermental task force dubbed "African Eagle" in which Turkey sought to train and prepare the Somali Armed Forces' officers and NCO's to make the Somali Armed Forces into a military that can sustain itself. This military base serves as Turkey's largest overseas military facility.

History

The base was formally opened on September 30, 2017, in a ceremony preside by Hulusi Akar of the Turkish Armed Forces and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. Construction of the base cost an estimated USD$50 million. Construction of the base took approximately two years. On the 18th of April 2019, an entire battalion had graduated from the military academy known as the 1st Infantry Battalion (Somali: 1aad Ciidamad Badan).

Function

Over 10,000 Somalia soldiers are expected to be trained at the base, according to Turkish military officials. It can train and house approximately 1,000 soldiers at a time. The base is approximately four square kilometers in size. Since its construction, officers and NCO's of all branches of the Somali Armed Forces graduate routinely as the Officer's course and training is 2 years, and the NCO course and training is a year long, the officer candidates will graduate to the 2nd Lieutenant and the NCO's candidates will graduate to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 3. Inside and on the university's university grounds, there are classrooms, a conference room, a on-site training grounds, football pitches, basketball courts, simulation maritime rooms, language labs, barbers and other amenities. More than 200 Turkish military personnel will be stationed at the base.

The candidates and graduates of the defence university who to be come known as the 1st Infantry Battalion are identifiable with the sky blue beret and the unique Turksom crest instead of the seal of the Armed Forces. As Somalia is under a UN embargo and cannot obtain fighter planes and other aircraft, the air force candidates are trained in Turkey instead.