The gendarmerie forces are now defined as “an armed, general law enforcement force”, whereas they used to be defined as “an armed, military security and law enforcement force” (Executive Decree 668 Article 5).
Gendarmerie General Command used to be conceived as a part of the Turkish Armed Forces, and was subordinate to the General Staff in terms of its duties associated with the Armed Forces, training and education, and to the Ministry of Interior in terms of security and enforcement; now, it reports exclusively and wholly to the Ministry of Interior (Executive Decree 668 Article 6).
The gendarmerie will now report to the force commands only during times of military mobilization and war, while this used to include martial law and whenever deemed necessary by the General Staff (Executive Decree 668 Article 10).