Metin Gurak appointed Türkiye's new chief of General Staff

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

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired the closed-door meeting, which sets the agenda for Türkiye’s military and typically deals with promotions, dismissals, and other staffing decisions, which are then approved by Erdogan.

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.

Gen. 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 Aug. 30.

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