Turkey's Supreme Military Council held its annual summer meeting yesterday at the Presidential Complex under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In the meeting, 14 generals and admirals have been promoted to higher ranks. The meeting, which set the agenda for Turkey's military and typically deals with promotions, dismissals and other staffing decisions, lasted for approximately 90 minutes. In a press briefing after the meeting, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın announced the decisions made.

Accordingly, 14 generals and admirals have been promoted and 40 colonels have been promoted to the ranks of general and admiral. Also, Maj. Gen. İrfan Özsert has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general within the Turkish Land Forces Command.Duty terms of 12 generals and admirals have been extended for a year and those of 313 colonels for two years. One general has been retired due to the age limit, and 47 generals and admirals have been retired due to being unlisted. The number of active generals and admirals will drop from 241 to 233 after the implementation of these decisions.

The decisions will be effective as of Aug. 30, 2019. Before the meeting, the council members visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish republic founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in the capital Ankara. Signing the memorial at Anıtbakir, Erdoğan wrote that this year's meeting was being held at a period when Turkey faces increasing external threats against the country's survival and unity, primarily stemming from the conflicts in Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean.

"Thanks to the measures taken after the July 15 betrayal, with its increasing discipline, motivation, deterrence and movement ability, the Turkish Armed Forces are our biggest guarantee against these asymmetric threats," Erdoğan added. Among the top officials attending the closed-door council meeting were Vice President Fuat Oktay, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Education Minister Ziya Selçuk, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, Land Forces Commander Ümit Dündar, Naval Forces Commander Adnan Özbal and Air Forces Commander Hasan Küçükakyüz.