Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak has been retired, and Land Forces Commander General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu appointed as his replacement. The surprise decision was taken at the regular meeting of the Supreme Military Council chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey promoted Colonel Gülden Mat Şakir to become the second female brigadier general in Turkish Armed Forces history.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rejected U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack’s demands to withdraw from Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and Tabqa and surrender weapons, stating they plan to integrate gradually into the Syrian army rather than disarm.
In the most dramatic leadership overhaul at the armed forces pension fund since the 2016 coup attempt, retired Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakallı—a key figure in thwarting the coup—has been named chairman of the giant fund.
In the most dramatic leadership overhaul at OYAK since the 2016 coup attempt, retired Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakallı—once a key figure in thwarting the coup—has been named chairman of the Turkish Armed Forces' influential pension fund and commercial powerhouse. OYAK announced the surprise changes just two months after its general assembly on May 17.
Despite strained ties with Israel following the October 7 attacks, Turkey has emphasized its key role in brokering a ceasefire in Syria’s Suweida province, where fighting between Israel-backed Druze groups and Bedouin Arab tribes had escalated to involve regime forces.
Just weeks before the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meets to decide on promotions in the ranks, the ruling AKP introduced a bill to amend the Turkish Armed Forces Personnel Law, allowing force commanders to remain in office until age 72 with presidential approval.
President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the helm in Washington DC will certainly affect the future orientation of NATO and have implications for American-Turkish security perceptions. The first term was occasionally stormy as President Trump publicly blamed NATO allies over a number of concerns and even threatened to pull out of the alliance. This time, he is coming back stronger than ever. The number one guiding factor of Trump's foreign policy is purely America's interests and he was not happy with the Europeans' reliance on American forces and money.