Who will protect the military?

Like many, the General Staff Headquarters were annoyed with the criticisms, which were hard to swallow.

Kocasakal said the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) was no longer a “national” institution.

“We thought that secularism could be protected by frequently talking about secularism. We thought that we have an army, and that powerful army will protect us. I have always defended the TSK’s institutional identity. We never wanted to acknowledge that since we joined NATO, the TSK has lost sense of national duty. Yet, this proved benevolent in the end. Now, there is the Turkish Unarmed Forces instead of the TSK. You are Turkish Unarmed Forces.”

Çoşkun’s article was more contemptuous, as he likened the generals to dogs which court the favor of political power for the sake of the bones and soft mattresses given to them.

Several columnists criticized their attitude as provocative and libelous, but politicians did not openly react to them.

Of course, we cannot expect President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to respond to every article written or speech made.

But there is the defense minister of this country.

Why did he remain silent? It is hard to understand.

As a matter of fact, this was largely because both the TSK and the general public tend not to take defense ministers seriously.

So far, defense ministers have been perceived as the Cabinet representatives of chiefs of general staff.

Yet, this must be changed now.

When a defense minister talks, this should mean something both to the TSK and to the general public, and his explanations should be seen as satisfactory by everyone.

Today, it is hard to say that defense minister to the TSK is what energy minister is to electricity-generating public corporations.

So there is a problem with the weight and clout of the defense minister.

However, the TSK is an institution that has lost its former power and prestige, with many of its members in jail.

It needs a voice that will defend it against harsh criticism and ridicule.

Of course, there are legal remedies available against the attitudes that force the boundaries of laws like those of Coşkun and Kocasakal, and the right thing to do is to resort to such remedies. But the operating speed and procedures of the judiciary in Turkey raises questions about the effectiveness of these remedies.

Moreover, members of the TSK need to hear reactions that go beyond “We have launched a lawsuit against them.”

True, the TSK is responsible for protecting the boundaries of the country, but politicians have to protect the mood and dignity of the army.

Therefore, it would be more fitting to democratic conventions and more convincing to the broad masses if the president, acting as commander-in-chief, issued a statement criticizing efforts to denigrate or provoke the TSK.