295 colonels retired

By: Müyesser YILDIZ

After the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting, the number of generals and admirals retired due to lack of position or age limit is announced — but the colonels are not.

Previously, the list of retired colonels' names was published collectively, but this practice was discontinued as of 2020. Now, a notification is sent to the retired colonel, and only then does he learn that he has been retired.

What is the reason for this strange practice?

After last year's YAŞ meeting, when it was reported that more than 400 colonels had been retired, sources at the Ministry of National Defence denied the claim while explaining the rationale for notification by individual letter as follows: "Retirement notifications are made exclusively on a 'personal' basis in order to protect the personal rights of personnel."

We then made the following point:

"So, until 2020, there was apparently no concern for 'protecting the personal rights of personnel,' since the list was being published. Moreover, this year a total of 31 generals/admirals were retired and their list was announced. The 'personal rights' of colonels matter, but those of generals and admirals do not?!"

THE RECORD IS IN THE LAND FORCES

Noting that 43 generals and admirals were retired this year and that their names have been published, let us now provide the colonel figure that has been the subject of curiosity.

As far as we have learned, a total of 295 colonels were retired — either by compulsory retirement or by non-extension of service — comprising 187 from the Land Forces Command, 57 from the Air Forces Command, and 51 from the Naval Forces Command.

Müyesser YILDIZ

13 August 2025