Türkiye reshuffles top commanders at Supreme Military Council meeting
ANKARA
Türkiye has appointed Land Forces Commander Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu as the new head of the Turkish military during an annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) on Aug. 5.
YAŞ was convened to discuss promotions and dismissals of high-ranking military personnel under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and with the participation of key civilian and military officials.
According to the decisions taken by the council and signed by Erdoğan, Gen. Metin Gürak, who was serving as the top commander since 2023, will retire at the end of August.
Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, the current land forces commander since 2023, will replace Gen. Metin Gürak. First Army Commander Gen. Metin Tokel was announced as the new land forces commander.
Navy Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu and Air Forces Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu will serve one more year in their positions, according to the decisions.
In line with the YAŞ decisions, 32 generals and one admiral have been promoted to a higher rank while 61 colonels will serve in the ranks of general. The mandates of 29 generals were prolonged for one year and 478 colonels for two years.
As a result of promotions and other decisions, the number of generals has increased from the current 316 to 332.
Before the meeting, YAŞ members paid a visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye.
Stressing that the YAŞ is convening at a moment when crises, conflicts and tensions are escalating in Türkiye’s near geography, Erdoğan stressed that their struggle to turn Türkiye into a leading country in its region and beyond is advancing.
“We are taking historic steps aimed at ensuring our nation’s future in a wide range of areas, from security, democracy and economy to technology, defense industry and foreign policy.”
“I believe that the 2025 meeting of our Council will be a new milestone on the path to the goal of the Century of Türkiye. We remember with grace Your Excellency and all our martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for our independence,” wrote Erdoğan.
