Türkiye appoints its first-ever woman admiral

Türkiye has appointed a woman as an admiral for the first time in Turkish Naval Forces history, following a Supreme Military Council meeting Thursday.

Staff Colonel Gokcen Firat will become Rear Admiral (lower half) RDML in the Turkish Naval Forces.

The decision came after the closed-door meeting that was chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The meeting serves as a platform to establish Türkiye's military agenda and usually addresses matters such as promotions, dismissals, and other staffing decisions.

Türkiye's new chief of General Staff

General Metin Gurak was appointed Türkiye's new Chief of General Staff amid a flurry of decisions announced after Thursday’s Supreme Military Council meeting.

Gurak has served as commander of the 2nd Army since 2021.

Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, deputy chief of General Staff, will be new Land Forces commander, replacing Musa Avsever, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu was appointed the new Air Forces commander following the retirement of Atilla Gulan.

A total of 32 generals and admirals are being promoted to the next ranks and 63 colonels to general or admiral effective August 30.

The number of generals and admirals in the Turkish Armed Forces will rise from 266 to 286, according to the statement.