04.08.2026 11:41
The Supreme Military Council (YAS) convened at Bestepe under the chairmanship of President Erdogan. It will make decisions regarding promotions, appointments, retirements, and extensions of duty periods in the Turkish Armed Forces. Before the council, where changes in the Air and Naval Forces Commanders are expected, Erdogan visited Anitkabir with YAS members.
The Supreme Military Council will convene under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting at Beshtepe will begin after the Supreme Military Council members visit Anitkabir.
President Erdogan visited Anitkabir with the YAŞ members. Signing the Anitkabir Special Book, Erdogan said, "Dear Ataturk, we are in your presence once again before the 2026 YAŞ meeting. We commemorate with mercy all the heroes who gave their lives for these lands, which have been our homeland for nearly a thousand years since the Battle of Malazgirt. We hope that the YAŞ meeting, which we are holding during a period of conflicts in our region, will bring good fortune. In a difficult period the world is going through, the TSK continues to fulfill its duty as the trust center of our nation."
3 NAMES WILL PARTICIPATE FOR THE FIRST TIME
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci, and Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel will participate for the first time in the YAŞ meeting chaired by President Erdogan.
At the Supreme Military Council Meeting, the files of personnel who will be promoted from colonel to general and admiral, as well as generals and admirals who will be promoted to the next rank, will be discussed. Personnel to be retired due to lack of positions and age limits will be determined. In addition to promotion and retirement files, possible duty changes in the force commands are expected to be evaluated. The decisions of the Supreme Military Council will be shared with the public after President Erdogan's approval.
TWO COMMANDERS MAY BE CHANGED
Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and Land Forces Commander Metin Tokel will continue their duties, while there is a possibility that the Naval and Air Force Commanders may be changed. Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu and Air Force Commander General Cemal Ziya Kadioglu, whose terms were previously extended, will retire if they are not extended again.
FIRST FEMALE REAR ADMIRAL ALSO ON THE PROMOTION LIST
In the Land Forces, 2nd Army Commander Lieutenant General Zorlu Topaloglu, Lieutenant Generals Sezai Ozturk and Mustafa Oguz, Special Forces Commander Major General Omer Ertugrul Erbakan, Major Generals Davut Ala, the July 15 veteran and Samsun Garrison Commander, and Emre Tayanc, the EDOK Commander, are also in line for promotion to the next rank.
There is also a possibility that Gokcen Firat, the first female Rear Admiral in the TSK and Head of the Navy Plans and Projects Management, will be promoted to Rear Admiral (Upper Half). If the 49-year-old Firat is promoted, she will be the first female Rear Admiral (Upper Half). The promotion of Lieutenant Generals Ismail Gunaydin, Erdogan Gur, and Ismail Uner from the Air Force Command to the next rank will also be evaluated at the YAŞ meeting.