General Staff of the Republic of Turkey

Rank insignia of the Chief of the General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff is the Commander of the Armed Forces. The current Chief of the General Staff is Yaşar Güler. His predecessor was Hulusi Akar.[1] According to the Constitution of Turkey, the Chief of the General Staff reports to the President during peacetime and serves as Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces. During peacetime, the Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard, as part of the internal security forces, are affiliated with the Ministry of Interior Affairs in peacetime, whereas in war-time, they fall under the Army Command and Navy Command, respectively.

In times of war, the Chief of the General Staff assumes the authority of Commander in Chief on behalf of the Parliament, which is represented by the President. Commanding the Armed Forces and establishing the policies and programs related with the preparation of personnel for combat, intelligence, operations, organization, training and logistic services are the responsibilities of the General Staff. Furthermore, the General Staff coordinates the military relations of the Turkish Armed Forces with its counterparts in the member states of NATO and other friendly nations.

The Chief of the General Staff holds the fifth-highest rank, behind the President of the Republic, the President of the Constitutional Court, the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly and the Vice President, on the protocol of the Republic of Turkey.

It is customary for the Chief of the General Staff to have held the posts of Commander of the First Army of Turkey and Commander of the Turkish Land Forces prior to their appointment.

The hierarchy, representation and employment of the Turkish Armed Forces within the state organization is regulated by the constitution of Turkey.

According to the constitution, the office of the 'Commander in Chief' is represented in the spiritual entity of the Grand National Assembly. The Chief of the General Staff is appointed by the President as the Commander of the Armed Forces. The Cabinet of Turkey is responsible to the Grand National Assembly for national security and the preparation of the Turkish Armed Forces to defend the country. However, the authority to declare a state of war and send the Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries or allow foreign armed forces to be stationed in Turkey require a vote of approval from the Turkish Parliament.

The Chief of the General Staff is responsible to the Minister of National Defense and is charged with the overall command and control of the Armed Forces. He is also responsible for conducting the military operations effectively, and the operational readiness of the Armed Forces.

The commanders of the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) report directly to the Chief of the General Staff. The General Staff and the Ministry of National Defense work in close coordination and cooperation to fulfill their respective responsibilities.

The Turkish Armed Forces General Staff, which is affiliated to the Ministry of National Defense, consists of the Turkish Land Forces, the Turkish Air Forces and the Turkish Naval Forces.[2]

Special Forces Command (Turkish: Özel Kuvvetler Komutanlığı), nicknamed Maroon Berets (Turkish: Bordo Bereliler) because of their distinctive service headgear, are the special operations unit of the Turkish Armed Forces. Special Forces Command is not aligned to any force command in TSK, getting orders directly from General Staff of the Republic of Turkey.[3]