Yaşar Güler

Yaşar Güler (born 18 September 1954) is a retired Turkish general currently serving as the Minister of National Defense. He previously served as the 30th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces from 2018 to 2023.

Yaşar Güler
Güler in 2023
Minister of National Defense
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 June 2023
President	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Preceded by	Hulusi Akar
30th Chief of the Turkish General Staff
In office 16 July 2018 – 3 June 2023
Preceded by	Hulusi Akar
Succeeded by	Metin Gürak
Chief of the Turkish Land Forces
In office 23 August 2017 – 16 July 2018
Preceded by	Salih Zeki Çolak
Succeeded by	Ümit Dündar
General Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie
In office 28 July 2016 – 21 August 2017
Preceded by	Galip Mendi
Succeeded by	Arif Çetin
Second chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces
In office 30 August 2013 – 28 July 2016
Preceded by	Hulusi Akar
Succeeded by	Ümit Dündar
Personal details
Born	(1954-09-18) 18 September 1954 (age 70) Ardahan, Turkey
Spouse	Demet Güler
Children	1
Alma mater	Kuleli Military High School Turkish Military Academy Army War Institute
Awards	TAF Medal of Honor, TAF Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice, TAF Medal of Distinguished Service
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Turkey
Branch/service	Turkish Land Forces
Years of service	1974–2023
Rank	General
Commands	General Staff of the Republic of Turkey Commander of Land Forces Gendarmerie General Command Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Command of Mapping 4th Corps Chief of the Intelligence of the Turkish General Staff Planning and Coordination Department of the General Staff 10th Infantry Brigade Command

Career

He enlisted in the army in 1974, which was effectively the start of his military career. He spent two years prior to his enlistment studying at the Turkish Military Academy. In the 10 years since joining the land forces, he served in various infantry and signals companies, acting as the commander of one of them. In 1986 he graduated from the Army War College with honors and graduated with the rank of a staff officer. He was promoted to brigadier general in 2001 and assumed responsibility for the 10th Infantry Brigade Command and the Planning and Coordination Department of the General Staff.

4 years later, he was promoted to major general and took over duties of the General Staff and at the School of Communications and Electronic Information Systems of the TAF in Ankara. In 2009, he was appointed to a position in the General Command of the 4th Army Corps, serving for over 2 years, this time as lieutenant general. From 2011 – 2013, he was the chief of intelligence for the armed forces, a position where he performed his duties before becoming the Deputy Chief of Staff in 2013, where he was also promoted to general and became the commander of the Gendarmerie General Command in 2016–2017, and became the Commander of Land Forces in 2017–2018, serving in those positions for a combined 5 years. On July 10, 2018, he was appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the 30th General Staff of the Republic of Turkey of the Armed Forces, succeeding Hulusi Akar, who was promoted to the post of Minister of National Defence that same day.^[1][2]

Personal life

He is currently married to Demet Güler, with whom he has a child. He has two grandchildren.