31.07.2025 08:44
A wave of high-level appointments and promotions swept through the General Command of Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard Command. With a presidential decision, the ranks of many generals, admirals, and colonels were elevated, while the gendarmerie commanders in more than 40 provinces were changed.
With the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the appointment decisions for the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command, as well as the promotions to a higher rank, were published in the Official Gazette.
21 NAMES PROMOTED TO A HIGHER RANK IN THE GENDARMERIE
According to Articles 10 and 11 of the Presidential Decree No. 3, 21 generals and colonels affiliated with the Gendarmerie General Command were promoted to a higher rank.
Within the scope of the decision, Major General Yusuf Kenan Topcu was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, while Brigadier Generals İdris Tataroğlu, Tarık Hekimoğlu, Emrullah Büyük, Ali Gemalmaz, and Zafer Tombul were promoted to the rank of Major General. Additionally, a total of 15 colonels, 14 of whom are Senior Colonels and one is a Senior Pilot Colonel, were promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
78 NAMES CHANGED DUTY STATIONS
According to Article 11 of the Presidential Decree No. 3, the duty stations of 78 generals and colonels within the Gendarmerie General Command were changed.
Lieutenant General Aykut Tanrıverdi was appointed to the position of Deputy Commander of the Gendarmerie General Command in Ankara. He previously held this position in Aydın. Lieutenant General Yusuf Kenan Topcu was appointed to the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command (Integration).
Major General Ali Doğan was appointed from the Gendarmerie Aviation Command to the Presidency of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy, while Major General Şakir Uslu, who was previously the President of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy, became the Head of Supervision and Evaluation.
Major General Cengiz Yıldız was assigned as the Provincial Gendarmerie Commander of Balıkesir, while Major General Murat Bulut, the Head of Supervision and Evaluation, was appointed to the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Major General Ahmet Kavukcu became the Provincial Gendarmerie Commander of Antalya.
Major General Tarık Hekimoğlu was appointed from the Provincial Gendarmerie Command of Antalya to the Provincial Gendarmerie Command of Diyarbakır. Brigadier General Yusuf Aslan was appointed from the Gendarmerie Commando Special Security Command to the Gendarmerie Training Command in Bilecik. Brigadier General Mevlüt Dirim was appointed from Şırnak to the Provincial Gendarmerie Command of Denizli.
Brigadier General Hasan Semiz was appointed from the Directorate of Combating Human Smuggling and Trafficking to the position of Intelligence Chief. Brigadier General İbrahim Karakulak was appointed from the Hatay Gendarmerie Commando Brigade Command to the Gendarmerie Commando Special Security Command. Brigadier General Cafer Öz was appointed from the Provincial Gendarmerie Command of Batman to the Provincial Gendarmerie Command of Hakkari.
Brigadier General Tamer Bilacan was appointed from the General Secretariat of the Beytepe JSGA Presidency to the TEM Department of the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Brigadier General Alper Çetinkaya was appointed from the CTE Department of the Gendarmerie Headquarters to the Directorate of Combating Human Smuggling and Trafficking.
MORE THAN 40 PROVINCIAL GENDARMERIE COMMANDERS CHANGED
With the decree, the Gendarmerie Commander of more than 40 provinces changed. New commanders were appointed in Bursa, Antalya, Van, Hakkari, Şırnak, Bitlis, Hatay, Muğla, Kayseri, Sakarya, Kırklareli, Giresun, and many other provinces.
Additionally, some commanders were assigned to various presidencies within the Gendarmerie General Command (Public Order, Intelligence, Migration and Smuggling Combat, Traffic, Legal Services, etc.), while some names were transferred to the central organization with the note "at their command."
PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS IN THE COAST GUARD COMMAND
According to Articles 10 and 11 of the Presidential Decree No. 3, two admirals and three colonels serving in the Coast Guard Command were promoted to a higher rank.
According to the decision, Rear Admiral Serkan Tezel and Tayfun Paşaoğlu were promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral. Additionally, Colonels Mehmet Yakın, Gökmen Gücüyen, and Alpaslan Baysal, who are members of the Coast Guard Command, were promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral.
Some admirals in the Coast Guard Command had their duty stations changed. The appointments were made in accordance with Article 11 of the Presidential Decree No. 3.
Vice Admiral Serkan Tezel was reappointed to his current position as the Commander of the Coast Guard Marmara and Straits Region within the scope of integration. Vice Admiral Tayfun Paşaoğlu will continue his current duty at the Coast Guard Aegean Sea Region Command within the scope of integration.
Rear Admiral Oğuz Bavbek was appointed as the Head of Coast Guard Strategy Development. Rear Admiral Mehmet Yakın was reappointed to his current position as the Head of Coast Guard Personnel within the scope of integration.
Rear Admiral Gökmen Gücüyen was appointed to the Coast Guard Mediterranean Region Command. Rear Admiral Alpaslan Baysal was appointed to the Coast Guard Operations Command.