The military's influence is institutional. Its chiefs of staff sit on the National Security Council, whose recommendations are almost always obeyed by the government. Its power also grows from its respected place in Turkish society, a product of centuries of Ottoman imperial tradition. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded modern Turkey along strictly secular lines and banned Islamic traditions, was a World War I hero. The military is estimated to have about 100,000 career officers and non-commissioned officers out of a total force of 600,000.
Officer training is rigorous and long and follows Western military doctrine.