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Necdet Özel
File:Necdet Özel GnKur.jpg
Born 1950 (age 73–74)
Place of birth Ankara, Turkey
Allegiance Flag of Turkey Turkey
Service/branch Turkish Armed Forces
Years of service 1969-present
Rank General
Commands held Chief of the Turkish General Staff
Acting Chief of the Turkish General Staff
Commander of the Turkish Army
Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie
Second Army
Aegean Army
172nd Armoured Brigade[citation needed]

General Necdet Özel (born Ankara, 1950) is the Chief of the Turkish General Staff since 2011. He is only the second in the position not to have NATO experience.[1]

He graduated from the Military Academy in 1969 and the Infantry School in 1970.

He served as a platoon leader and company commander in various units of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) until 1978. Following his graduation from Army War College in 1980 as a staff officer, he respectively served as Operations Plan Officer at Turkish Peace Forces HQ in Cyprus, Branch Chief and then as the Secretary General at the General Secretariat of Turkish Land Forces, Chief of Staff at the Turkish Military Academy, and as the Commander of the 17th Infantry Regiment.

Having promoted to Brigadier General in 1995, he served as the Commander of the 172nd Armored Brigade and as the Chief of Internal Security Operations Department, TLFC.

After his promotion to Major General in 1999, he assumed the command of 39th Mechanized Infantry Division and of the Army War College.

In 2003, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and served as the Commander of the 7th Corps and then as the Deputy Commander of Training and Doctrine Command, TLFC.

As a General, he served as the Commander of Aegean Army between 2007-2008, as the Commander of the 2nd Army between 2008-2010, and as the Commander of Gendarmerie between 2010-2011. After serving as the Commander of TLFC and as the Acting Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces between 29 July and 4 August 2011, he assumed the command of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) in 4 August 2011.

General Necdet Özel was awarded TAF Courage and Self-Sacrifice Medal, TAF Distinguished Service Medal, TAF Medal of Honor, Romanian Military Legion of Merit, Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolian Distinguished Service Medal, Korean Republic National Security Legion of Merit, Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Rank and Jordan Excellent Gendarmerie Medal.

General Necdet Özel is married to Kamuran Özel, with a child.

References[]

  1. Abdullah Bozkurt, Today's Zaman, 31 July 2011, Profile of Necdet Özel: An army man with strong democratic credentials
Military offices
Preceded by
Avni Atila Işık
Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie
August 24, 2010–July 29, 2011
Succeeded by
Bekir Kalyoncu
Preceded by
Erdal Ceylanoğlu
Commander of the Turkish Army
July 29, 2011–August 4, 2011
Succeeded by
Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu
Preceded by
Işık Koşaner
Chief of the General Staff of Turkey
August 4, 2011–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
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