Turkey appoints new army chief in surprise reshuffle
2 Min Read
Turkey replaces Army Chief Metin Gurak with Selcuk Bayraktaroglu in a rare early leadership change, sparking political debate and concern over new military laws.
-
Turkey's army soldiers parade as part of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of the modern, secular Turkish Republic, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023 (AP)
Turkey’s top military council unexpectedly removed Army Chief of Staff Metin Gurak from his position on Tuesday and appointed Land Forces Commander Selcuk Bayraktaroglu as his replacement, signaling a significant shift as this marks the first time in more than ten years that a military leader has been replaced before the end of their term.
During Turkiye’s annual Supreme Military Council meeting, which was chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by key military and civilian leaders, focused on high-level military promotions and dismissals.
The presidency’s communications directorate announced in an official release that Metin Gurak had retired from his position. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, the current commander of the ground forces, was named as his successor, despite Gurak's appointment to the position recently, in 2023.
Bayraktaroglu brings extensive experience from his distinguished career in the Turkish Land Forces, having held critical command and strategic roles across various domains, including leadership positions in signal units, commando brigades, logistics, cyber defense, and personnel management. He also previously served as deputy chief of the general staff before his 2023 appointment as ground forces commander.
Metin Tokel, the first army commander, will take over Bayraktaroglu's role as ground forces commander.
Questionable departure
Although official explanations pointed to staffing shortages as the reason for the change, this departure marks an unusual break from precedent, as no Turkish chief of staff in the past ten years has left office prematurely before finishing their customary four-year term.
This year's Supreme Military Council meeting sparked controversy following objections from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which expressed significant concerns about recent July amendments to the legislation regulating military appointments.
The amendments introduced changes, such as extending the maximum retirement age for force commanders to 72 with the president's authorization, while also removing the mandatory War College graduation prerequisite for lieutenant generals and admirals.
Yanki Bagcioglu, a retired general and current CHP parliamentarian, cautioned last week that these modifications could undermine the merit-based system within the Turkish Armed Forces.
