List of Chiefs of the Turkish General Staff

This list includes Chiefs of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey .

	Name	Foto	Birth date Death date Cemetry	Rank (last rank)	Start End	Register Year of Graduation: KHO Year of Graduation: Ottoman Ottoman Military College The Ottoman Military College or Ottoman Military Staff College or Ottoman War Academy, was a two year military staff college of the Ottoman Empire. It was located in Constantinople... / Turkish staff college	Note
1	İsmet İnönü Ismet Inönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of Turkey. In 1938, the Republican People's Party gave him the title of "Milli Şef" .-Family and early life:... Erkân-ı Harbiye-i Umumiye Reis Vekili		1884, İzmir Izmir Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey... December 25, 1973 Anıtkabir Anitkabir Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey...	Mirliva Mirliva Mirliva or Mîr-i livâ was a military rank of the Ottoman Army. It corresponds to a Brigadier General or Major General . Mirliva is a compound word composed of Mir and Liva... (Orgeneral)	May 3, 1920 August 3, 1921	Top. Artillery Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons... 1319 (1903)-1 1906 (59th class)	31 March Incident 31 March Incident The 31 March Incident was a 1909 rebellion of reactionaries in İstanbul against the restoration of constitutional monarchy that had taken place in 1908. It took place on 13 April 1909... Balkan Wars Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic... First World War War of Independence Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I... 2nd president
2	Fevzi Çakmak Fevzi Çakmak Mustafa Fevzi Çakmak was a Turkish soldier , politician. Minister of War of the Ottoman Empire, National Defence Minister, Prime minister of Ankara government, the second Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Grand National Assembly and the first Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of... Erkân-ı Harbiye-i Umumiye Reis Vekili		1876, İstanbul Istanbul Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and... April 12, 1950 Eyüp Sultan Mezarlığı	Mareşal Mareşal (Turkey) Mareşal is the highest rank in the Army of Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces. It is the equivalent of a Field Marshal in other countries....	August 5, 1921 January 12, 1944	P. Infantry Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies... 1311 (1895)-c-7 1898 (51st class)	Albanian Uprising Italo-Turkish War Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and... Balkan Wars First World War War of Independence
3	Kâzım Orbay Kazim Orbay Mehmet Kâzım Orbay was a Turkish general and senator. He served as the third Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces.-Biography:Kâzım Orbay was born in Smyrna , Ottoman Empire in 1887...		1887, İzmir June 3, 1964 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı Devlet Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	January 12, 1944 July 30, 1946 (resigned)	Top. 1320 (1904)-1 1907 (60th class)	31 March Incident Albanian Uprising Balkan Wars First World War War of Independence Dersim Rebellion Dersim Rebellion The Dersim rebellion was an uprising against the Turkish government in the Dersim region of eastern Turkey, which includes Tunceli Province, Elazığ Province, and Bingöl Province...
4	Salih Omurtak Salih Omurtak Salih Omurtak was a Turkish general and the fourth Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces.-Biography:He was born 1889 in Salonica , then within the Ottoman Empire. He graduated from the Military College in 1907 with the rank of a lieutenant...		1887, Selanik June 23, 1954 Ankara Hava Şehitliği Devlet Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	August 1, 1946 June 8, 1949	P. 1323 (1907)-1 1910 (63rd class)	Balkan Wars First World War War of Independence
5	Nafiz Gürman		1882, Bodrum Bodrum Bodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the... (Akhisar) February 6, 1966 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı Devlet Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	June 10, 1949 June 6, 1950	P. 1319 (1903)-5 1906 (59th class)	Italo-Turkish War Balkan Wars First World War War of Independence (POW in 1919)
6	Nuri Yamut		1890, Selanik June 5, 1961 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	June 5, 1950 April 10, 1954	P. 1324 (1908)-27 1920 (67th class)	Balkan Wars (POW in 1912) First World War War of Independence
7	Nurettin Baransel		1897, İstanbul May 21, 1967 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	May 28, 1954 August 25, 1955	P. 1328 (1912)-b-84 1925 (69th class)	Balkan Wars First World War War of Independence
8	İsmail Hakkı Tunaboylu		1895, Rahova (present day Oryahovo Oryahovo Oryahovo is a port city in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vratsa Province. It is located in a hilly country on the right bank of the Danube, just east of the mouth of the river Ogosta, a few more kilometres downstream from where the Jiu flows into the Danube on Romanian territory. The town is... , Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east... ) October 28, 1958 Ankara Asri Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	August 25, 1955 October 10, 1957	Top. 1330 (1914)-c-3 1927 (71st class)	First World War War of Independence
9	Feyzi Mengüç		1896, İstanbul June 23, 1966 Edirnekapı Şehitliği	Orgeneral	October 11, 1957 August 22, 1958	İs. 1330 (1914)-c-39 1925 (69th class)	First World War War of Independence
10	Rüştü Erdelhun		1894, Edirne Edirne Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne... November 9, 1983 Ankara Asri Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	August 23, 1958 May 27, 1960	Top. 1330 (1914)-b-10 1926 (70th class)	First World War War of Independence
11	Ragıp Gümüşpala Ragıp Gümüşpala Ragıp Gümüşpala was the 11th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces and founder of the Justice Party in 1961. He died shortly afterwards, on 6 June 1964, in Istanbul.-External links:...		1897, Edirne June 5, 1964 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	June 3, 1960 August 4, 1960	P. 1333 (1917)-92 1934 (78th class)	First World War War of Independence Sheikh Said Rebellion Sheikh Said rebellion Sheikh Said Rebellion was a rebellion of a Kurdish clergy Sheikh Said and a group of former Kurdish Hamidieh soldiers in 1925.-Background:The Azadî was dominated by officers from the former Hamidiye, a Kurdish tribal militia established...
12	Cevdet Sunay Cevdet Sunay Cevdet Sunay was a Turkish army officer, political leader and the fifth President of Turkey.He was born in 1899 in Çaykara, Trabzon Province, in the Ottoman Empire. After attending elementary school and middle school in Erzurum and Edirne, he graduated from Kuleli Military High School in Istanbul...		1899, Trabzon Trabzon Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast... May 22, 1982 Devlet Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	August 4, 1960 March 16, 1966	Top. 1334 (1918)-N-6 1930 (74th class)	First World War (POW in 1917) War of Independence 5th president
13	Cemal Tural		1905, Erzincan Erzincan -Trivia:Erzincan has the largest man made of Portrait of Atatürk, located north of the city, 176m×43m. It covers 7,500 square meter. Turkish Army made it 1982, in 29 days by 3,000 soldier, 100 tons of black and white paint was used... December 17, 1981 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	March 16, 1966 March 16, 1969	P. 1341 (1925)-12 1933 (77th class)
14	Memduh Tağmaç		1904, Erzurum March 30, 1978 Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı	Orgeneral	March 16, 1969 August 29, 1972	Top. 1928-1 1938 (82nd class)	March 12 memorandum
15	Faruk Gürler		1913, İstanbul August 23, 1984 Cebeci Şehitliği	Orgeneral	August 29, 1972 March 6, 1973	Top. 1931-13 1942 (86th class)	March 12 memorandum (as commander of K. K. K. Turkish Army The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire... )
16	Semih Sancar		1911, Erzurum December 8, 1984 Cebeci Şehitliği	Orgeneral	March 6, 1973 March 7, 1978	Top. 1932-8 1942 (86th class)	Cyprus Operation Turkish invasion of Cyprus The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
17	Kenan Evren Kenan Evren Ahmet Kenan Evren was the seventh President of Turkey; a post he assumed by leading the 1980 military coup. He was also the last president to be born in the Ottoman Empire.- Biography :...		1917, Manisa Manisa Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city and the regional metropolitan center of İzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in... (Alaşehir) -	Orgeneral	March 7, 1978 July 1, 1983	Top. 1938-50 1949 (93rd class)	September 12 coup d'état 7th president
18	Nurettin Ersin		1918, Çanakkale Çanakkale Çanakkale is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 . The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan .... October 3, 2005 Cebeci Şehitliği	Orgeneral	July 1, 1983 December 6, 1983	P. 1937-88 1948 (92nd class)	Cyprus Operation (as commander of K.T.B.K) September 12 coup d'état (as commander of P.K.K.)
19	Necdet Üruğ		1921, İstanbul -	Orgeneral	December 6, 1983 July 2, 1987	Top. 1941-30 1950 (95th class)	nephew of Ömer Faruk Gürler
20	Necip Torumtay Necip Torumtay Necip Torumtay was the 20th Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey.He graduated in 1944 from the Turkish Military Academy with the rank of a Second Lieutenant, and subsequently in 1946 from the Turkish Army Artillery School. Ge served in various artillery units and later as an...		1926, Trabzon Trabzon Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast... -	Orgeneral	July 24, 1987 December 3, 1990	Top. 1944-9 1954 (96th class)
21	Doğan Güreş		1926, Adana Adana Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia... -	Orgeneral	December 6, 1990 August 30, 1994	P. 1947-Nk. Military logistics Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:... -2 1965 (107th class)
22	İsmail Hakkı Karadayı İsmail Hakkı Karadayı İsmail Hakkı Karadayı is a retired Turkish general, who became the 20th Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces on 30 August 1993. He served between 1994 and 1998 as the 22nd Chief of the Turkish General Staff for a four-year term and was succeeded by General Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu.-References:...	-	1932, Çankırı Çankırı -Agriculture:Various produce like wheat, corn, beans, apple etc. are grown in the farms, and fields that are rich of water.-Industry:Most of the industry is located near the city center and Korgun. Other towns that are in the industrial map of the city are Şabanözü, Çerkeş, Ilgaz, Kurşunlu, and... -	Orgeneral	August 30, 1994 August 30, 1998	Top. 1951-67 1963 (105th class)	Operation Steel Operation Steel Operation Steel was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 20 March and 4 May 1995 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.- The battle :... Atmaca Tokat Harekâtı Operation Hammer Operation Hammer (1997) Operation Hammer was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 12 May and 7 July 1997 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party .... February 28 Process Operation Dawn Operation Dawn (1997) Operation Dawn was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 25 September and 15 October 1997 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.- Casualties :...
23	Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu Hüseyin Kivrikoglu Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu is a Turkish general who was the Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces and on August 30, 1998, became Chief of the Turkish General Staff for a four-year term.-Biography:...	-	1934, Bilecik Bilecik -External links:* http://www.eksisozluk.com/show.asp?t=bilecik%20diye%20bir%20yerin%20asl%C4%B1nda%20olmamas%C4%B1%20 Bilecik Conspiracy* http://www.bilecikaktuel.com* * http://www.voyagerbook.com/eng/iller/11/11.asp*... (Bozuyuk) -	Orgeneral	August 30, 1998 August 28, 2002	Top. 1955-3 1967 (109th class)
24	Hilmi Özkök Hilmi Özkök General Hilmi Özkök was the 24th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. He took up that post on August 28, 2002 and served until August 30, 2006 when he retired and was succeeded by General Yaşar Büyükanıt.Özkök has expressed support for Turkey's alignment with the European Union,...		1940, Manisa -	Orgeneral	August 28, 2002 August 30, 2006	Top. 1959-1 1972 (114th class)
25	Yaşar Büyükanıt Yasar Büyükanit General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.-Biography:...		1940, İstanbul -	Orgeneral	August 30, 2006 August 30, 2008	P. 1961-2 1972 (114th class)	Operation Hammer (as commander of VII Corps) Şemdinli incident (as commander of K.K.K.) e-memorandum E-memorandum E-memorandum is a controversial General Staff statement released on its Web site in 2007 weighing in the Turkish presidential elections in 2007. The candidate that would possibly be elected was Abdullah Gül... Operation Sun 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq The 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, code-named Operation Sun by the Turkish Armed Forces, began on February 21, 2008, when the Turkish Army sent troops into northern Iraq to target the Kurdistan Workers Party . The ground offensive was preceded by Turkish Air Force aerial bombardments...
26	İlker Başbuğ Ilker Basbug Mehmet İlker Başbuğ was till August 2010 the 26th Chief of the General Staff of Turkey. In this post he is succeeded by Işık Koşaner.-Biography:...		1943, Afyonkarahisar Afyonkarahisar Afyonkarahisar is a city in western Turkey, the capital of Afyon Province. Afyon is in mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, south-west of Ankara along the Akarçay River. Elevation... -	Orgeneral	August 30, 2008 August 30, 2010	P. 1962-2 1973 (115th class)
27	Işık Koşaner Isik Kosaner Sebahattin Işık Koşaner is a Turkish former military general who served as the 27th Chief of the General Staff from 2010 to 2011.-Biography:...		1945, İzmir -	Orgeneral	August 30, 2010 July 29, 2011	P. 1965-3 1978 (120th class)
28	Necdet Özel Necdet Özel Necdet Özel is the 28th Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey. He was appointed to the post on 4 August 2011. He was described by Turkish media as "army man with strong democratic credentials" .- References :...		1950, Ankara -	Orgeneral	July 30, 2011	P. 1969-1 1978 (120th class)

Sources

Genelkurmay Başkanları listesi
Harp Akademileri Komutanlığı, Harp Akademilerinin 120 Yılı, İstanbul, 1968.

Sources

See also