Turkish SAT and Pakistan Navy SSGN Conclude AYYILDIZ 2025, Deepening Elite Maritime Special Forces Cooperation

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In the crisp winter air of Istanbul, where the Bosphorus narrows into a natural strategic choke point linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, elite naval commandos from Türkiye and Pakistan concluded the 12-day high-intensity joint special operations exercise AYYILDIZ 2025, an event that transcended routine bilateral training to emerge as a calibrated demonstration of operational convergence, strategic signalling, and deepening maritime security alignment between two pivotal Muslim-majority powers operating at opposite ends of an increasingly contested Indo-Mediterranean security continuum.

Conducted from December 15 to December 26, 2025 at the Turkish Naval Special Operations Command (SAT) base in Istanbul, the exercise brought together Türkiye’s elite Su Altı Taarruz (SAT) commandos and the Pakistan Navy’s Special Service Group Navy (SSGN), uniting two of the world’s most secretive and combat-experienced maritime special forces in a tightly choreographed programme designed to enhance interoperability, sharpen joint mission execution, and refine shared operational doctrine for complex, high-risk maritime contingencies.

As regional maritime threat vectors continue to evolve—from piracy and grey-zone coercion in the Arabian Sea to asymmetric naval warfare, energy infrastructure contestation, and maritime terrorism in the Eastern Mediterranean—the conclusion of AYYILDIZ 2025 underscored how special operations forces are increasingly being positioned as the first line of response in contested littoral and blue-water environments where conventional naval power alone is insufficient.

The exercise also unfolded against a backdrop of accelerating geopolitical volatility, with Türkiye navigating intensifying energy disputes and naval competition in the Eastern Mediterranean while Pakistan simultaneously confronts persistent non-state maritime threats, submarine proliferation, and strategic rivalry along its Arabian Sea frontage, thereby positioning AYYILDIZ 2025 not merely as a tactical drill but as a strategic rehearsal for future coalition-based maritime security operations.

By integrating elite operators, platforms, and planning cells from both navies into a single operational ecosystem, AYYILDIZ 2025 sent a deliberate message that Ankara and Islamabad are actively investing in a long-term, high-trust military partnership capable of generating real-world operational effects across multiple maritime theatres.

Blending realism, secrecy, and operational stress, the exercise demonstrated how two geographically distant but strategically aligned navies are synchronising their special operations capabilities to address hybrid threats that increasingly blur the line between peace and conflict at sea.

AYYILDIZ 2025: Objectives, Operational Design and the Evolution of a Flagship Bilateral Special Operations Framework

AYYILDIZ, meaning “Crescent and Star” in Turkish—a symbolic reference to the national emblems shared by both Türkiye and Pakistan—has evolved since its inception in the late 1990s into one of the most enduring and operationally relevant bilateral special forces exercise series outside the NATO framework.

The 2025 iteration represented a significant maturation of the exercise, building upon decades of cumulative operational knowledge while incorporating lessons derived from contemporary maritime conflict zones, including the Black Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Eastern Mediterranean.

Hosted at Türkiye’s SAT Command base, the exercise leveraged advanced maritime training infrastructure, including simulated shipboard environments, containerised “Ship-in-a-Box” assault facilities, live-fire ranges, and integrated air-sea insertion corridors designed to replicate real-world operational stressors encountered during maritime interdiction and counter-terror missions.

The core objectives of AYYILDIZ 2025 were deliberately structured to strengthen SAT-SSGN interoperability, refine joint planning and execution procedures, exchange tactical best practices across maritime special operations domains, and validate command-and-control compatibility under time-compressed, intelligence-driven mission scenarios.

Participants engaged in a demanding sequence of combat firing drills, sniper operations, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) missions, fast-roping helicopter insertions onto moving vessels, underwater frogman operations, and coordinated maritime counter-terrorism scenarios involving multiple insertion vectors.

Each training module was designed to stress not only individual operator skill but also unit-level cohesion, communication discipline, and rapid decision-making under ambiguous threat conditions characteristic of modern maritime security operations.

A defining feature of AYYILDIZ 2025 was the deliberate integration of mixed Turkish-Pakistani assault teams, a methodological choice that forced operators to operate beyond familiar national playbooks while relying on shared NATO-influenced tactics, common weapons handling procedures, and universal special operations principles.

The culmination of the exercise featured a high-visibility demonstration of coordinated VBSS operations involving surface combatants, rotary-wing aviation, and high-speed insertion craft, validating the ability of SAT and SSGN units to operate seamlessly across air, surface, and subsurface domains in complex maritime battlespaces.

Although no official budget figures were disclosed, defence analysts estimate that a 12-day high-end bilateral special operations exercise of this scale—incorporating live-fire, aviation assets, specialised maritime platforms, and elite personnel—would conservatively exceed US$6–8 million, equivalent to approximately RM28–37 million, underscoring the strategic value both governments attach to this partnership.

Elite by Design: Strategic Profiles of Türkiye’s SAT Commandos and Pakistan Navy’s SSGN

At the operational core of AYYILDIZ 2025 were two elite maritime special operations units whose reputations have been forged through decades of secrecy, attrition-heavy training pipelines, and operational deployments in some of the world’s most hostile security environments.

Türkiye’s Su Altı Taarruz (SAT), established in 1963 and often compared to the U.S. Navy SEALs, represents the Turkish Naval Forces’ premier offensive maritime special operations capability, specialising in underwater demolition, reconnaissance, direct action, counter-terrorism, and clandestine maritime assault missions.

Operating under a doctrine shaped by Cold War maritime confrontation and refined through post-Cold War regional conflicts, SAT commandos are trained to conduct precision operations across the Aegean, Black Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, and beyond, environments characterised by dense sensor coverage, contested littorals, and complex political sensitivities.

SAT operators undergo one of the most demanding selection and training regimes in NATO-adjacent forces, encompassing HALO/HAHO parachuting, advanced combat diving, close-quarters battle, sniper operations, and maritime interdiction, producing a force optimised for high-risk missions where political deniability and operational precision are paramount.

Complementing SAT is Türkiye’s Su Altı Savunma (SAS) command, responsible for defensive underwater operations such as mine countermeasures and harbour protection, together forming a comprehensive maritime special operations ecosystem capable of both offensive and defensive tasks.

On the Pakistani side, the Special Service Group Navy (SSGN), established in 1966 in the aftermath of the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, stands as Pakistan Navy’s principal maritime unconventional warfare force, tasked with clandestine insertions, VBSS operations, maritime counter-terrorism, and strategic reconnaissance.

Headquartered at PNS Iqbal in Karachi and reporting to the Naval Strategic Forces Command, the SSGN draws its institutional lineage from U.S. Navy SEAL training methodologies while integrating indigenous operational lessons from South Asian and Middle Eastern conflict theatres.

The SSGN’s training pipeline is notoriously unforgiving, with attrition rates reportedly exceeding 80 percent, reflecting the force’s emphasis on physical endurance, psychological resilience, and absolute operational discipline.

Operationally, the SSGN has accumulated extensive combat experience, ranging from port defence and counter-insurgency operations during the 1971 conflict to counter-terror missions against al-Qaeda-linked elements and the defence of critical naval infrastructure such as PNS Mehran and PNS Zulfiquar.

Often referred to as the “Iqbal Teams,” the SSGN embodies Pakistan’s strategic imperative to secure its maritime approaches, protect sea lines of communication, and counter hybrid threats emanating from both state and non-state actors in the Arabian Sea.

The pairing of SAT and SSGN during AYYILDIZ 2025 thus represented not merely symbolic cooperation but the convergence of two battle-hardened maritime special operations cultures shaped by distinct yet complementary strategic imperatives.

The Strategic Bedrock: Turkey–Pakistan Defence Relations and the Maritime Dimension of a Seven-Decade Partnership

AYYILDIZ 2025 is best understood as a tactical manifestation of a far deeper strategic relationship between Türkiye and Pakistan, a defence partnership that dates back to the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1947 and has been reinforced through shared geopolitical interests, ideological affinities, and converging security challenges.

Formalised through the 1954 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and strengthened during the Cold War under frameworks such as CENTO, the bilateral relationship has evolved into a multidimensional defence partnership encompassing naval, air, land, and defence industrial cooperation.

Naval collaboration has long been a cornerstone of this relationship, beginning with the Turgutreis series of exercises in the 1960s and progressively expanding to include complex anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction, and special operations training.

A defining milestone in recent years was Türkiye’s US$1.5 billion MILGEM corvette programme for Pakistan—equivalent to approximately RM7.0 billion—which remains the largest single defence export in Turkish history and a landmark example of defence industrial cooperation, technology transfer, and joint shipbuilding.

The programme, involving the construction of four MILGEM-class corvettes with two built in Istanbul and two in Karachi, has significantly enhanced Pakistan Navy’s surface warfare and network-centric operations capability while embedding Turkish naval design philosophy into Pakistan’s future fleet architecture.

Aviation and training cooperation further reinforce the partnership, with Pakistan providing F-16 training support to Turkish pilots and both sides exploring collaboration on Türkiye’s next-generation TAI TF Kaan fighter programme.

Recent multinational exercises such as Doğu Akdeniz-2025 and Pakistan’s participation in AMAN exercises in the Arabian Sea illustrate how Ankara and Islamabad increasingly operate within overlapping multilateral security frameworks, amplifying the strategic weight of their bilateral alignment.

The conferment of Türkiye’s Legion of Merit on Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf in August 2025 further underscored the political and institutional depth of this relationship, reflecting sustained high-level commitment to defence cooperation.

Against this backdrop, AYYILDIZ 2025 emerges not as an isolated event but as a critical node in a long-term strategic architecture designed to align Turkish and Pakistani maritime power projection, crisis response, and special operations capabilities across interconnected theatres.

Inside the Exercise: Tactical Complexity, Operational Realism and the Anatomy of AYYILDIZ 2025

From its opening phase, AYYILDIZ 2025 was characterised by a deliberate emphasis on operational realism, with scenarios designed to replicate the complexity, uncertainty, and time pressure of real-world maritime special operations.

Combat firing drills constituted a foundational component, focusing on marksmanship under stress, target discrimination in cluttered maritime environments, and rapid transition between weapon systems during dynamic engagements.

Sniper firing modules tested precision engagement capabilities from unstable maritime platforms and confined urban-littoral positions, reflecting the growing importance of overwatch and precision fires in VBSS and counter-terror operations.

VBSS operations formed the exercise’s operational backbone, with teams conducting helicopter-borne fast-roping insertions, high-speed surface approaches, and simultaneous multi-point breaches on simulated hostile vessels.

The Ship-in-a-Box training facility proved particularly valuable, offering a containerised, reconfigurable environment that replicated the confined spaces, poor visibility, and structural hazards typical of real merchant vessels and irregular maritime platforms.

Underwater frogman operations demanded exceptional physical endurance and navigational precision, with operators executing submerged approaches, simulated sabotage tasks, and covert exfiltration under strict time constraints.

Joint planning cells played a critical role, forcing SAT and SSGN officers to integrate intelligence, logistics, and command-and-control processes into unified mission plans despite differences in national procedures and organisational culture.

The integration of bilingual briefings and mixed command teams further tested cognitive agility and communication discipline, essential attributes for coalition special operations in real conflict scenarios.

By the exercise’s conclusion, the ability of SAT and SSGN units to function as a single operational entity across multiple mission sets had been demonstrably validated.

Strategic Implications and the Future Trajectory of SAT–SSGN Cooperation

The strategic implications of AYYILDIZ 2025 extend far beyond bilateral military training, positioning the exercise as a meaningful contributor to regional maritime stability across an arc stretching from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea.

For Türkiye, deepening special operations cooperation with Pakistan enhances its strategic reach into the Indian Ocean region, offsetting diplomatic isolation in parts of the Mediterranean and reinforcing Ankara’s role as a security provider beyond its immediate neighbourhood.

For Pakistan, sustained engagement with Turkish special operations forces complements its naval modernisation drive, enhances interoperability with NATO-adjacent standards, and strengthens its capacity to counter hybrid maritime threats.

At a systemic level, improved SAT–SSGN interoperability contributes to the security of global sea lines of communication, energy transit routes, and critical maritime chokepoints increasingly threatened by piracy, terrorism, and state-sponsored grey-zone activities.

As hybrid warfare evolves to include unmanned systems, cyber-enabled maritime sabotage, and information operations, exercises like AYYILDIZ provide a flexible platform for adapting special operations doctrine to emerging threat vectors.

Looking ahead, future iterations of AYYILDIZ are likely to incorporate unmanned surface and underwater systems, cyber-maritime integration, and expanded multinational participation, further enhancing the exercise’s strategic relevance.

As one defence official has emphasised, such exercises are essential for ensuring “effective, rapid coordination” in joint operations, while Pakistan Navy has consistently highlighted that the aim is “to build synergy, strengthen military relationships and enhance interoperability between Special Operations Forces.”

In an era defined by great-power competition, contested seas, and persistent hybrid threats, AYYILDIZ 2025 stands as a clear demonstration that Türkiye and Pakistan are not merely training together, but actively shaping a shared maritime security architecture grounded in trust, capability, and operational readiness.

The crescent and star, united beneath winter skies in Istanbul, now cast a longer strategic shadow across the world’s most contested waters. — DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA