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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Supreme Military Council (YAS) decisions Tuesday, appointing Land Forces Commander General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu as the new chief of general staff while promoting 93 officers to higher ranks in the annual military reshuffle.
The Supreme Military Council, chaired by Erdogan at the Presidential Complex, decided that outgoing Chief of General Staff General Metin Gurak would retire due to a lack of positions, effective Aug. 30.
First Army Commander General Metin Tokel was appointed to replace Bayraktaroglu as land forces commander.
The council extended the terms of Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu and Air Forces Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu by one year. The decisions take effect Aug. 30.
According to the Presidential Communications Directorate, 32 generals and admirals were promoted to higher ranks, while 61 colonels were elevated to general and admiral positions. Additionally, 29 generals had their terms extended by one year, and 478 colonels received two-year extensions.
The council retired 45 generals and admirals: two generals due to age limits effective Sept. 1, and 43 generals and admirals due to lack of positions effective Aug. 30.
Among the promotions, Lieutenant General Bahtiyar Ersay from Land Forces Command and Lieutenant General Rafet Dalkiran from Air Forces Command were promoted to full general rank.
From Land Forces Command, Major Generals Ilkay Altindag, Sebahattin Kilinc, Rasim Yaldiz, Fedai Unsal, Muammer Alper, Tuncay Altug and Ahmet Kurumahmut were promoted to lieutenant general.
Air Forces Major General Ergin Dinc was also promoted to lieutenant general, while Naval Forces Rear Admiral Rafet Oktar was promoted to vice admiral.
The Land Forces Command saw 15 brigadier generals promoted to major general, including Aydin Kilic, Suleyman Akbay, Tolga Genc, Gokhan Celik, and others.
From Naval Forces Command, Rear Admirals Mehmet Savas Eser, Aziz Bakioglu and Timur Yilmaz were promoted to vice admiral. Air Forces Command promoted Brigadier Generals Ertan Uzun, Vedat Oncel and Serkan Gokhan Can to major general.
Among those receiving one-year term extensions from Land Forces Command were Major Generals Omer Ertugrul Erbakan, Emre Tayanc and Davut Ala, along with 18 brigadier generals.
From Air Forces Command, Major Generals Selcuk Aygun and Orhan Gurdal received one-year extensions, along with Brigadier Generals Ender Kartal, Hakan Canli and others.
The total number of generals and admirals, currently 316, will increase to 332 as of Aug. 30.
The official statement concluded: "We wish that the new ranks and duties of the generals, admirals and colonels who have been promoted to higher ranks and whose terms of service have been extended will be beneficial to our nation, our state, our Armed Forces and their families."
"We thank the generals, admirals and colonels who will retire after completing their terms of service with great sacrifice and honor for their services, and wish happiness and well-being to them and their families in the new period of their lives," the statement noted.
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