The Turkish Land Forces, or Turkish Army, is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the foundation of the army include suppression of rebellions in Southeast Anatolia and East Anatolia from the 1920s to the present day, combat in the Korean War, the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the current Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War, as well as its NATO alliance against the USSR during the Cold War. The army holds the preeminent place within the armed forces. It is customary for the Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces to have been the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces prior to his appointment as Turkey's senior ranking officer.
The Second Army of the Turkish Army has headquarters in Malatya. It protects Anatolia and it patrols the border with Syria, Iraq and Iran. Modern Turkish corps are referred to in TGS literature in Ottoman Turkish (1st) numerals. It is not clear when the change occurred. An arbitrary date of 1945 has been chosen as the point at which to start referring to corps in Ottoman Turkish numerals.
The Aegean Army or Fourth Army is one of the four main formations of the Turkish Army. It covers the entire west coast of the Anatolia peninsula and has its headquarters in İzmir. It was organised in the 1970s in response to political tensions with Greece – the ongoing Aegean dispute and the Cyprus problem.
Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu is a retired Turkish general who was the 23rd commander of the Turkish Armed Forces and on August 30, 1998, became Chief of the Turkish General Staff for a four-year term.
Mehmet İlker Başbuğ is a Turkish former general who served as the 26th Chief of the General Staff of Turkey. He was charged with contravention of Articles 309, 310, and 311 of the Turkish Penal Code. In August 2013, he was convicted on charges of "establishing and leading a terrorist organization" and "attempting to destroy the Turkish government or attempting to partially or completely prevent its functioning" and sentenced to life imprisonment as part of the Ergenekon trials. However, the Constitutional Court of Turkey determined that Başbuğ's legal rights were violated and overturned his conviction; he was released on 7 March 2014.
Sebahattin Işık Koşaner is a Turkish former army general who served as the 27th Chief of the General Staff from 2010 to 2011.
The Sacred Band or Sacred Squadron was a Greek special forces unit formed in 1942 in the Middle East, composed mostly of Greek officers and officer cadets under the command of Col. Christodoulos Tsigantes. It fought alongside the SAS in the Western Desert and the Aegean, as well as with General Leclerc's Free French Forces in Tunisia. It was disbanded in August 1945 but is the precursor to the modern Special Forces of the Hellenic Army.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces is the chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Turkey, who is the commander-in-chief. The position dates to the period of the Government of the Grand National Assembly and the Turkish War of Independence. The post has its own rank insignia, which is the OF-9 rank of the Chief of Staff's personal service branch surrounded by laurel wreaths. In practice, the position has always been held by a Turkish Land Forces officer.
Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu is a former general who served for the Turkish Army.
General Necdet Özel is a Turkish Army general, who served as the 28th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. He also served as the commander of the Turkish Land Forces. General Necdet Özel is only the second in this position not to have NATO experience.
The Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) formerly Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (LANDSOUTHEAST) is the standing headquarters for NATO land forces which may be assigned as necessary. The Commander LANDCOM is the primary land warfare advisor to Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and the Alliance. When directed by SACEUR, it provides the core of the headquarters responsible for the conduct of land operations. The command is based at Şirinyer (Buca), İzmir in Turkey.
Aytaç Yalman was a Turkish general.
Şükrü Sarıışık is a retired Turkish general. He was Secretary-General of the National Security Council from 2003 to 2004, and then Commander of the Second Army.
Musa Avsever is a retired Turkish Army general who was the 52nd commander of the Turkish Land Forces. Prior to his appointment as a commander of the Land Forces on 5 August 2021, he served as the 57th commander of the First Army of Turkey from 2016 to 2021. Due to the appointment of General Yaşar Güler as the Minister of National Defense by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 5, 2023, General Musa Avsever, the Commander of the Army, has been temporarily assigned as the Chief of the General Staff. On August 3, 2023, he was superannuated due to his late age
