The Chief of General Staff's Reason for Retirement!..

Decisions regarding promotions, appointments, and retirements within the Gendarmerie General Command and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) were announced five days apart.

Erdoğan signed the Gendarmerie decree on July 30, and it was published in the Official Gazette on July 31. The Supreme Military Council (YAŞ), meanwhile, convened at the Palace on August 5; the decisions taken were announced the same day and published in the Official Gazette the following day.

First, let us clarify a development within the Gendarmerie.

Unquestioning Journalism

In our article from the day before yesterday titled "Is There a Power Struggle in the Gendarmerie?", while analyzing the new decree, we announced a last-minute development as follows:

"It is reported that Major General Ali Doğan, who was appointed President of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy while serving as Gendarmerie Aviation Commander and is alleged to be close to the Menzil sect, submitted his resignation a few days ago after he was not promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General."

Before the ink on our article had even dried, Erdoğan signed a new Gendarmerie appointment decree that same night, and this decision was published in the Official Gazette yesterday.

According to the decree; Balıkesir Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Cengiz Yıldız was appointed as Ankara Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, Ankara Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Recep Yalçınkaya was appointed as President of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy, Gendarmerie General Command Support Units Group Commander Gendarmerie Senior Colonel Murat Özer was appointed as Balıkesir Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, and Major General Ali Doğan, who we stated had submitted his resignation, was appointed to the Gendarmerie General Command headquarters.

All media outlets, including Anadolu Agency, reported these new appointments with headlines such as "Gendarmerie appointments in the Official Gazette... Midnight critical dismissal decisions from Erdoğan... Appointments in the Gendarmerie have been determined... 4 high-level appointments at the Gendarmerie General Command... Critical appointments at the Gendarmerie General Command... Ankara Provincial Gendarmerie Commander dismissed... High-level change at the Gendarmerie General Command."

Not a single person asked, "What happened 12 days later that these appointments or changes were made?"

Yet the situation was clear; Ali Doğan's desire to retire had led to these mandatory changes. In short, Ali Doğan's reactive retirement was accepted, and since this decision would be considered effective as of August 30, he was appointed to the "Gendarmerie General Command headquarters."

However, as far as we have learned, the unrest within the Gendarmerie continues. According to allegations, when two names considered for the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy presidency vacated by Ali Doğan "refused" the position, it was decided to appoint Major General Recep Yalçınkaya, the Ankara Provincial Gendarmerie Commander who was accused of security negligence in the attack carried out by the PKK on TUSAŞ last October, to this post.

Another Important First in TSK History

During the AKP government, traditions have been overturned, and appointments to Force Command have been made without serving as Army Commander, or to the Chief of General Staff without serving as Army Commander.

In this YAŞ, another important first was achieved, and Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak was retired on the grounds of "lack of a cadre position."

We have seen Chiefs of General Staff who resigned, such as in the cases of Necip Torumtay and Işık Koşaner. Or we have heard that Necdet Özel did not accept the extension of his term of office.

But I believe this is the first time something like this has happened in the case of Metin Gürak. Still, to avoid being mistaken, I asked a retired general who could be considered the memory of the TSK, "Is there any Chief of General Staff in TSK history who was retired due to a lack of a cadre position?" He laughed and asked the following counter-question:

"What position was the Chief of General Staff supposed to be given that he had to be retired due to a lack of a cadre position?"

He then reminded me that there are two factors for the retirement of a Chief of General Staff: completing the 4-year term of office or reaching the age limit.

Neither of these conditions applies to Metin Gürak. He was appointed Chief of General Staff in 2023; he still had 2 years left. His age is 65; the age limit for Chiefs of General Staff has been raised to 72.

Here is the point: fine, the government may not want to work with Metin Gürak, but is this the way and method to do it? How elegant is it to dismiss a Chief of General Staff on a non-existent ground like "lack of a cadre position" instead of deeming a formula such as voluntary retirement appropriate for him?

I wonder what "crime" Gürak committed to be subjected to such treatment?

As is known, there has been talk of a Yaşar Güler - Hulusi Akar rivalry for some time. As our colleague Deniz Zeyrek also pointed out, although it is said that Metin Gürak was once close to Yaşar Güler, it is known that Hulusi Akar gave him the most critical tasks, especially on July 15.

We also remember Gürak from the February 6 earthquake. At that time, he was in Malatya as the 2nd Army Commander. Journalist-Author Barış Terkoğlu shared a rumor that "The 2nd Army Commander said, 'We must intervene in the earthquake as soon as possible.' When he was told, 'Let's stay on standby,' he cried out of sadness." Following this, it is alleged that Metin Gürak filed a lawsuit against Terkoğlu at the request of the then-Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar.

It was also discussed that his resistance to the dismissal of the lieutenants who reacted to the lieutenant who did not wear an Atatürk photograph during the November 10 ceremonies at the Tuzla Infantry School, and the lieutenants who said "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" at the Military Academy graduation ceremony, was effective in Gürak's liquidation.

However, the Chief of General Staff has nothing to do with the schools!.. Furthermore, I do not think he was ever asked for his opinion on these developments, nor do I think he expressed his opinion.

As for the selection of Land Forces Commander General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu for the Chief of General Staff position; his appointment was linked to his closeness to the government and his "success" in the dismissal of the lieutenants, and it was said that he was "promoted."

As is known, after July 15, all Force Commands, along with the General Staff, were attached to the Ministry of National Defense. In other words, even though he holds the title of "commander-in-chief" in war, the Chief of General Staff has neither command authority nor units under his command. Whether it is a promotion to be appointed from the Land Forces Command, where almost all units and thousands of soldiers are attached, to the Chief of General Staff is unknown; but at least he has moved forward in terms of protocol.

The Era of the TikTok-Using Hacı Pasha

My dear brother Barış Terkoğlu, in his article titled "The era of the TikTok-using hacı pasha" which he wrote the day before yesterday regarding the YAŞ decisions, gave examples of who was promoted and how.

Let us end with one of them. A Pasha, who is claimed to be the architect of the latest regulations in the TSK but whose term was extended while he was waiting for a promotion, shared a clip of a Black Sea folk song on his social media account, which he used despite the ban, with the note "Addressed to the scoundrels who talk behind my back," presumably to react to those criticizing him, along with the following lyrics of the song:

"Hey, look at that, what they said about me behind my back, they talked in my absence and dragged me through the mud, they said he's finished, they said he won't become a man. Unfortunately, what they said didn't happen, they were mistaken. I am happy, I have peace, I am in a very good situation. I have HONOR and PRIDE that I carry with pride. I am crazy and impulsive, but I also have a heart, at least I have a NAME and a REPUTATION."

Let's wait and see what else we will see!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

August 13, 2025