(Image source: euronews)

BY TRACY PFEIFFER

ANCHOR AUSTIN KIM

NATO’s second-largest military is in turmoil after the mass resignation of its leaders.

Turkey’s top general, along with the heads of the Air Force, Army, and Navy filed for early retirement Friday -- a move analysts say shows the military leaders are no longer willing to work with the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The walkout came hours after a court charged 22 suspects, including several generals and officers, with carrying out an Internet campaign to undermine the government.” (Al Jazeera)

The BBC expands on the underlying issue -- between the government and the military.

“It’s the latest in an ongoing power struggle between Turkey’s moderately Islamist government and its powerful Armed Forces, which see themselves as guardians of the country’s secular status. Around 250 serving and retired soldiers, including dozens of officers, are currently in jail, facing charges relating to an alleged attempted military coup.”

A writer for the LA Times says -- although NATO countries aren’t immediately concerned with the shakeup, any unrest in Turkey is worrisome -- because of the role it plays on the global scene.

“The Obama administration has recently turned to Turkey to pressure the Syrian government to ease its bloody crackdown on demonstrators. U.S. officials have sought Turkish help to stabilize post-invasion Iraq, and have tried - with less success - to foster better Turkish relations with Israel to ease Israeli-Arab frictions.”

A columnist in Istanbul tells The Guardian, while the headlines sound dramatic -- nobody should get too worked up just yet.

"The situation has clearly become intolerable for the military forces and they subsequently resigned. This is nothing to make too much of a fuss over; these things are bound to happen in a democracy."

Finally - an expert tells The Washington Post -- catastrophe or not, the resignations send a strong signal in a country known for its military coups.

“The military has been largely pushed to the side. They’re not going to be able to implement a coup d’etat... The police force is thoroughly under the control of the (ruling party) and has been militarized over the last 10 years, and the opposition is weak and divided.”

Prime Minister Erdogan has already named a temporary head of the country’s armed forces.