ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has finalized plans to set up create a new, comprehensive border security unit encompassing territorial security, coast guard and customs security, a top Turkish official announced.
Interior Minister Efkan Ala said that the new unit will be dubbed called "Professional Armed Border Security Unit."
The planned unit will be administered and commanded by a civilian authority and not by the Turkish military command.
Ala said that the new unit will be tasked with ensuring Turkey's land, airspace and coastal border security.
He said: "In the short term, we need to set up a strong civil coordination mechanism. We will create it, soon. Second, we need to build up the civilian organization to protect our borders, " he said.
"We have coast guard command, land forces command and customs guards. However, the new large-scale unit will contain all these guards," he Ala said, without mentioning the size of the planned unit.
The government will now draft a bill for the creation of the border security unit.
Industry sources said that the new unit would require a variety of equipment of a variety of sorts.
"Any item related to border security, especially high-tech gear, will be in need," one source said.
Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.
