Ever since the independence of the Republic of Turkey, the military faction has played a decisive role in the politics, economics and society of the country. During the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s, the military ensured the secular nature of the republic through a series of military coups. And eventhough the role of the Turkish military has diminished since the rise of the Justice and Development Party under the leadership of Erdogan, the rise and fall of the Turkish military is part of the geopolitical objectives of a reasserting Turkey.