Hilmi Özkök

General Hilmi Özkök (b. 1940) is the current Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Turkey (Turk Silahli Kuvvetleri, TSK). He took up that post on August 28, 2002 and will serve for four years. The army is a major base of secular political power in Turkey, it last intervened to force the resignation of Necmettin Erbakan[?] and his government in 1997.

He was born in Turgutlu[?] and has been a career soldier. He was educated at the Isiklar (Iþýklar) Military High School in Bursa and went from there in 1957 to complete a two year course at the Turkish military Academy. He left there as a 2nd Lieutenant in the artillery. He studied at the Army War College and the NATO Defence College in the 1970s.

After completing the course at the Army War College in 1972 Özkök moved into military staff, initially with the Special Weapons Branch of the Allied Forces Southern Europe and then at SHAPE[?]. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1984 and worked as Chief of Planning for the General Staff (TGS). From 1986-88 he commanded the 70th Infantry Brigade and on his promotion to Major General in 1988 he commanded the 28th Infantry Division. He returned to the TGS in 1990 and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1992 when he was sent to Brussels to head the Turkish NATO Military Delegation for three years.

On August 30, 1996 Özkök was promoted to full General and took charge of the NATO Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe. He returned again to the TGS in 1998, this time as Deputy Chief. After a brief stint with the 1st Army he was made Commander of the Turkish Army in 2000 before recieving his current post, succeeding Huseyin Kivrikoglu[?].

He has been award medals from Turkey, the USA, Pakistan, Spain and South Korea.