The Supreme Military Council has decided to revise its command for all of the services. The council, known by its Turkish acronym, YAS, appointed new commanders for the air force and navy as part of a plan to restructure the military.
"The decisions taken by the Supreme Military Council, or YAS, have shaped the Turkish Armed Forces' command level for the next 10 years," the Turkish daily Sabah said.
In all, the council decided the careers of about 100 officers. The terms of 54 generals and admirals were extended for one year.
An exception was Col. Dursun Cicek, the purported author of a military plan that sought to overthrow the ruling pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party. YAS, despite a military recommendation, turned down Cicek's promotion to admiral. Another senior officer linked to the alleged coup plot, Turkish Navy Capt. Levent Gorgec, has been appointed admiral.
"Cicek could not be promoted to the rank of admiral because there are no vacant positions," the council said.
On Aug. 4, YAS ended a four-day meeting that decided on appointments and military policy. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, named the new heads of the air force and navy.
The council decided to appoint Vice Adm. Esref Ugur Yugit as the new navy commander. Yugit, scheduled to enter his new post on Aug. 30 replaced Turkish Navy commander Adm. Metin Atac.
Turkish Air Force commander Gen. Aydogan Babaoglu has been succeeded by Gen. Hassan Aksay. The appointment would also take effect at the end of August.
Gen. Bekir Kalyoncu was appointed chief of staff of Turkey's Land Forces Command. Government sources said this would place Kalyoncu in the running to become the military's chief of staff over the next decade.
The sources said the appointments would pave the way for Land Forces commander Gen. Isik Kosaner to become the next chief of staff in 2010. They said Kosaner could be succeeded by Gen. Necdet Ozel in 2013 and Kalyoncu in 2017. Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug as well as Kosaner were expected to leave their posts next year.
YAS said the commander of the 1st Army, Gen. Ergin Saygun, would also retire, replaced by Gen. Hassan Igsiz. The council cited an age limit for service for Saygun's departure.
Another promotion was that of Gen. Aslan Guner as the new deputy chief of staff. Guner had been commander of the 1st Army.
The council said three unidentified officers were dismissed from the military for alleged links to Islamic groups.
