Supreme Military Council

Following deliberations by the Supreme Military Council, handover ceremonies have been conducted at the land and air forces commands to formalize the new assignments within the command structure.

The Defense Ministry unveiled that Gen. Musa Avsever, the retired Land Forces commander, transferred his responsibilities to Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.

The Supreme Military Council has appointed Staff Colonel Gökçen Fırat, hailing from the Naval Forces Command, as the Turkish Armed Forces' first female admiral in its history. 

The Supreme Military Council presided over by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced the appointment of Gen. Metin Gürak as the new chief of General Staff.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will preside over the Supreme Military Council meeting next week at the Presidential Complex, where key appointments and promotions within the Turkish Armed Forces will be deliberated.

Turkey will convene its Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) on Aug. 4, where decisions will be taken to name top military brass.

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The YAŞ is convened every year to discuss promotions and dismissals of the high-ranking military personnel under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and with the participation of key civilian and military officials.

Turkey's Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak (R) is seen in this file photo with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (L) and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül during the visit of Supreme Military Council members to Anıtkabir on Aug. 2, 2018.

A software program to facilitate the profiling of members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has been developed as part of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) bid to discharge alleged Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) members from the military. 

Seven general and admirals asked for retirement of their own volition before recent promotions and demotions within Turkey's military ranks, the Defense Ministry has stated, amid media reports that the government had asked 10 generals to retire and threatened them with dismissal through state of emergency degrees. 

Speaking after the controversial demotion of a top Turkish general who played a key role in defeating last year's coup attempt and who later led a cross-border operation in Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said soldiers should "obey assignments."

The Special Forces Commander Lieutenant Gen. Zekai Aksakallı, who commanded anti-coup forces during the July 15 attempt and the Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria, was reshuffled to command the Second Army Corps in the western region of Gelibolu.

The appointments that had not come into effect with the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) were announced in the Official Gazette on Aug. 19.