Top Four Commanders Of Turkish Armed Forces Resigns

I am very unhappy.

Yesterday, 29 July 2011 was day that will not be forgotten easily. The top 4 commanders of Turkish Armed Forces, the Chief of the General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces General Kosaner, the Commander of Army General Ceylaoğlu, the Commander of Navy Admiral Yiğit and the Commander of the Airforce General Aksay resigned from their posts by asking for their retirement.

The fifth member of the top brass, The Commander of Gendarmerie General Özel, who did not resigned is appointed as the commander of Army immediately. According to the laws and rules the Chief of the General Staff must command an armed service before being appointed. The Gendarmerie is not considered as one of the main armed service, as it is the police force that operates in rural areas. Thus General Özel was appointed as the commander of the Army so that he can be selected as the next Chief of the General Staff.

The resigns of the top commander of the Turkish Armed Forces came as a shock only two days before the next meetings of Turkey’s Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) that convenes in August each year to decide on senior military assignments and promotions.

Below is the Google translation of the farewell speech of General Kosaner.

“Currently, 173 active duty, 77 retired total of the 250 general, admiral, officers, noncommissioned officers and gendarme sergeant specialist, as the detainees are deprived of freedoms. Arrests are the universal rules of law, rights, justice and conscience to accept was made in accordance with the values​​, as expressed by the many lawyers, it is not possible. In this situation, many times forwarded to the competent authorities, in spite of being told and followed the legal framework, the problem has not been possible to find a solution. Although there is currently no definitive judicial decision of the rights of prisoners-admiral of the 14 generals and 58 colonels, as well as further threat to freedoms in accordance with our laws this year to present Supreme Military Council, lost the right to take Supreme Military Council evaluated and punished in advance. A long-term objective of the investigation and arrests in the Turkish Armed Forces kept alive ever tried to be created the false impression that public opinion in a criminal organization, so the opportunity to know all kinds of false news media bias, slander and accusations that the great incentive to take a stand against our nation own armed forces. This situation can not be eliminated, and the attempts made by the authorities ignored the rights and laws protect our staff as chief of staff is my responsibility to meet the obstacle, the occupation that I eliminated the opportunity to continue this noble task tenure. Whatever the conditions before that served as the holy members of the Turkish Armed Forces hero after that superior discipline, courage and absolute faith in the sacrifice success once again expressed confidence, while the Turkish Armed Forces I wish all the members of the health and well-being.”

I know Google translation from Turkish into English sucks most of the time. So I try to make some sense.

General Koşaner clearly indicates the long and indecisive legal process of the Sledgehammer case. All the active duty officers have lost their promotions. According to the Personnel Law of the Turkish Armed Forces, an active officer who is on a trial, cannot be promoted to a higher rank before the case has ended. It means that the all active duty officers now under arrest will not get any promotions before the case is finished, even if they are released from the prison during the case or do not receive any sentencing.

It is obvious the pressure that was put on the Turkish Armed Forces by the Sledgehammer and other cases become in tolerable that they led to the resignations of today.

What makes me sad is the fact that the fabric of the Turkish Armed forces has been tampered. Many fine, brilliant and cleaver officers are lost their way up as they are behind bars during the slow progressing criminal case.