EFES-2026 Exercise Concludes; Syria and Libya Join Turkey's Drills in Historic Firsts

Turkey's flagship biennial military exercise EFES-2026 concluded its live-fire phase on approximately May 21, 2026, at training ranges near İzmir along the Aegean coast. Over 10,000 personnel from 50 nations participated at the İzmir Gulf and Doğanbey training ranges, including NATO allies (US, Germany, France, UK) and partners from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Sweden, Somalia, and Rwanda. Two historic firsts were recorded: approximately 50 Syrian military personnel participated — the first time the post-Assad Syrian army conducted an exercise outside Syrian territory — and 502 Libyan personnel from both eastern and western factions participated together under a single banner for the first time outside Libya. Turkey framed both Syria and Libya's participation as part of its military advisory and restructuring programs, signaling Ankara's growing role as the primary patron of Syria's post-Assad military establishment.