Erdoğan signs off: Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) decisions announced

The Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting, chaired by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has concluded. The closed-door meeting lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The YAŞ meeting at the Palace was attended by Council members, including Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak, Commander of the Land Forces General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, Commander of the Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, and Commander of the Air Force General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu.

SIGNED THE YAŞ DECISIONS

Erdoğan signed the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) decisions.

A photograph of the moment President Erdoğan signed the YAŞ decisions was shared on the official presidential website, "www.tccb.gov.tr".

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak were also present while Erdoğan signed the Council decisions.

YAŞ DECISIONS ANNOUNCED

The Directorate of Communications announced the YAŞ decisions:

Effective as of August 30, 2024, 23 generals and admirals have been promoted to the next rank, and 77 colonels have been promoted to the rank of general or admiral.

The terms of office for 34 generals and admirals have been extended by one year, and the terms for 455 colonels have been extended by two years.

GENERALS AND ADMIRALS RETIRED

Two generals were retired due to age limits effective September 1, 2024, and 29 generals and admirals were retired due to lack of positions effective August 30, 2024.

KARDAK HERO ERCAN KİREÇTEPE ALSO RETIRED

Within the scope of the YAŞ decisions, Rear Admiral Ercan Kireçtepe, a SAT Commander and one of the "Kardak heroes" who was a victim of FETÖ's conspiracy cases such as Balyoz, was also retired due to a lack of positions.

GÖKSEL KAHYA HAD COLLECTED EMPTY CUPS AT A NATO MEETING

Major General Göksel Kahya was among those retired.

Major General Göksel Kahya, who represented the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) at the NATO meeting held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, on March 10, 2023, had collected empty tea glasses from the table.

ADMIRAL TATLIOĞLU'S TERM EXTENDED

It was decided to extend the term of office of Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu by one year.

The number of generals and admirals, which is currently 281, will be 327 as of August 30, 2024.

Effective August 30, 2024, Lieutenant Generals Levent Ergün and Metin Tokel from the Land Forces Command were promoted to General; Vice Admiral Kadir Yıldız from the Naval Forces Command was promoted to Admiral; Major Generals Tevfik Algan and Gültekin Yaralı from the Land Forces Command were promoted to Lieutenant General; Rear Admirals Mustafa Kaya and Yalçın Payal from the Naval Forces Command were promoted to Vice Admiral; and Major General Yaşar Kadıoğlu from the Air Force Command was promoted to Lieutenant General.

Brigadier Generals İlker Görgülü, Erman Kiraz, Mustafa Köksal, Ferat Vural, Ahmet Gülmüş, Rıfat Dönel, İlhan İstanbullu, Yusuf Diker, and Zeynel Abidin Erginbaş from the Land Forces Command were promoted to Major General; Rear Admirals (Lower Half) Serhat Sözbir, Mehmet Emre Sezenler, Mevlüt Savaş Bilican, and Recep Erdinç Yetkin from the Naval Forces Command were promoted to Rear Admiral; and Brigadier Generals Mete Kuş and Sadık Uygur from the Air Force Command were promoted to Major General.

The statement included the following:

"We wish that the new ranks and duties of the generals, admirals, and colonels who have been promoted to a higher rank or whose terms of office have been extended will be beneficial to our Nation, our State, our Armed Forces, and their families. We thank the generals, admirals, and colonels who will retire after completing their terms of service with great dedication and honor for their service, and we wish them and their families happiness and well-being in the new chapter of their lives."

News Source: AA