It is known that General Yasar Güler, Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, was appointed as Minister of Defense, replacing Hulusi Akar.
The 69-year-old was the army chief during Turkey's military incursions into Syria in 2019 and 2020, and oversaw the subsequent military operations there and in Iraq.
Therefore, on the one hand, he has military experience, while coming from the Turkish Armed Forces, he will have long-term relations with the military leadership of his country, knowing people, things and situations.
He also enjoys the trust of President Erdogan, overseeing the promotion of close friends to the status of Turkish Armed Forces Officers to the highest positions, so that the situation in the military remains fully under control.
In a recent article we mentioned that what we are interested in seeing as Greece, is the puzzle that will follow its ministerialization, regarding the new Turkish military Hierarchy that will emerge and especially in the positions of the Commander of the Ground Forces and its origin.
This is answered by a relevant Turkish media article, which points out, among other things:
Changes in key positions in Turkey's defense-war industry and foreign policy sectors
"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Defense Minister Yasar Guler announced new appointments on Monday to several high-level positions, including the Chief of General Staff, the Chief Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy and the new Chairman of the Defense Industries Presidency (SSB).
Erdogan appointed Akif Çağatay Kılıç as his new chief adviser on security and foreign policy, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette.
Güler, a former chief of the general staff, appointed Musa Avsever, head of the Turkish Armed Forces' Land Forces Command (TSK), as interim chief of the general staff. He will also retain his current position during his interim tenure.
Haluk Görgün, CEO of TSK's major contractor Aselsan, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Defense Industries Board (SSB), the top defense organization responsible for key state-funded projects.
Erdogan also appointed Davut Gül, governor of the southern province of Gaziantep, as the new governor of Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, as former governor Ali Yerlikaya was appointed to the interior minister post in the new cabinet announced by the president on Saturday.
The new Chief of the Turkish General Staff
It is unclear whether General Absever will continue as Chief of the General Staff, or is a temporary solution until the military crises in August.
Except in exceptional cases, such as the appointment of the Chief of General Staff to another position, the Chief of General Staff is selected from among long-serving Generals by the Supreme Military Council, headed by the President and usually at annual military crisis meetings
According to the current regulations, the Chief of the GHETHA is required to serve in the TSK for a total of 44 years.
General Absever rose to the rank of General in 2003 and served in various capacities under the Chief of Staff and Commander of Land Forces before his appointment as Commander of Land Forces in 2021.
He was the head of the 2nd Army during the July 15, 2016 coup attempt by soldiers linked to the Gülenist terrorist group (FETÖ), who were targeted in the infamous Ergenekon trials orchestrated by supporters of the terrorist group in the judiciary.
Erdogan's new Security and Foreign Policy Advisor
Akif Çağatay Kılıç has long been a key name close to Erdogan and has held top positions in the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
In his early political career, Kılıç served as an aide to Erdogan during the latter's tenure as prime minister and was his personal interpreter on foreign trips.
He later served as an MP and as Minister of Youth and Sports between 2013 and 2017.
He was re-elected as an MP in the 2018 elections and headed the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The new President of the Defense Industries Board (SSB)
Haluk Görgün, electrical engineer and professor, was the first head of the control and automation engineering department of the famous Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul.
During his long academic career in which he served as deputy rector of the same university and rector of Gebze Technical University, Görgün was recognized for his work on university-industry cooperation.
He was elected to the board of directors of Aselsan in 2017 and was appointed CEO of the company a year later. In this capacity he also served as general manager of the company.
Aselsan was founded in 1975 to meet the telecommunications needs of TSK.
Originally a manufacturer of communications systems for the military, it expanded over the next few decades to also produce electronic optical systems, thermal imaging cameras, missile warning systems, etc. In 2013, it became the 74th largest defense company in the world in terms of profits. Today, it is one of the leading companies in both defense and civilian technologies.
In his new position, Görgün will oversee a group of defense services tasked with working with private companies in the country's effort to develop a self-reliant, locally produced defense industry.
More appointments are expected in key positions in the coming days as Turkey ushered in a new era following the May 28 election victory for President Erdogan, now Turkey's longest-serving leader. Erdogan unveiled his new cabinet over the weekend.
Conclusions
The above placements in key positions in Turkey's defense-war industry and foreign policy sectors are not a surprise and we would say they were more or less expected.
Regarding the placement of General Absever as the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, our feeling is that this is a temporary solution before the annual military crises that take place in August in Turkey.
This solution was the most appropriate since the Turkish General was the Commander of the Central Forces of the neighboring country, where traditionally the Army has the first say in the Armed Forces, with the Navy and the Air Force following.
With reference to Greek-Turkish, it does not signal any differentiation, since on the one hand everything passes through Erdogan's hands, while we will have to wait for the annual military crises in August to decide, although as we said before the placement of General Absever in the position of its Chief of the Turkish General Staff, looks more like a service solution without continuity.
Now with regard to the assumption of the position of Chairman of the Defense Industries Board (SSB), the top defense organization responsible for key state-sponsored projects, by the Managing Director of Aselsan, the continuation of the effort to further develop the Turkish war industry and the leadership role that company holds in this effort.
Here we expect to see an even greater attempt at Turkish autonomy from Western weapons systems, and we should closely monitor developments in major Turkish weapons programs underway.
Finally, Erdogan's new adviser on security and foreign policy issues, has been his right-hand man for many years, his interpreter with experience in foreign policy matters, knowing the issues first-hand.
