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 Necdet Özel. According to the Constitution of Turkey, the Chief of the General Staff reports to the Prime Minister 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 at peacetime, whereas at 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 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 Speaker of the Grand National Assembly and the Prime Minister, 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 Army, Commander of the First Army prior to their appointment.
Read more about this topic: General Staff Of The Republic Of Turkey
Famous quotes containing the words chief, general and/or staff:
“That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time.”
—John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)
“A constitutional statesman is in general a man of common opinions and uncommon abilities.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“... all my letters are read. I like that. I usually put something in there that I would like the staff to see. If some of the staff are lazy and choose not to read the mail, I usually write on the envelope “Legal Mail.” This way it will surely be read. It’s important that we educate everybody as we go along.”
—Jean Gump, U.S. pacifist. As quoted in The Great Divide, book 2, section 10, by Studs Terkel (1988)