General Hilmi Özkök (born 4 August 1940) is a Turkish general who served as the 24th

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan) * Chief of the General Staff (Albania) * C ...

of the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

. He took up that post on August 28, 2002, and served until August 30, 2006, when he retired and was succeeded by General

Yaşar Büyükanıt General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt (1 September 1940 – 21 November 2019) was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008. Biography General Yaşar Büyükanıt was born in Is ...

. Özkök has expressed support for Turkey's alignment with the European Union, sought a reduced role for the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

, and opposed his peers' plans to stage a coup.

Education and personal life

Hilmi Özkök was born in

Turgutlu Turgutlu, also known as Kasamba (''Cassaba'' or ''Casaba'') is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey Magnesia on the Maeander. Its area is 549 km2, and its population is 175,401 (2022). Its elevation is . The present name de ...

Manisa Province Manisa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in western Turkey. Its area is 13,339 km2, and its population is 1,468,279 (2022). Its neighboring provinces are İzmi ...

, and has been a career soldier. He was educated at the Isiklar (Işıklar) Military High School in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

and went from there in 1957 to complete a two-year course at the

Turkish Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy () or as it is known historically and popularly Harbiye is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defense University (Turkey), National Defence University. It is located in the cent ...

. Özkök left there as a second lieutenant in the

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. He has commanded an Artillery Gun Line, Forward Observation team, Fire Direction Center, SATA Battery, Battalion and Brigade. He has mostly worked with

M114 155 mm howitzer The 155 mm Howitzer M114 is a towed howitzer developed and used by the United States Army. It was first produced in 1941 as a medium artillery piece under the designation of 155 mm Howitzer M1. It saw service with the US Army during World W ...

s and

M198 howitzer The M198 is a medium-sized, towed 155 mm artillery piece, developed for service with the United States Army and Marine Corps. It was commissioned to be a replacement for the World War II-era M114 155 mm howitzer. It was designed and prototyped a ...

s. He has commanded a Brigade which included a

MGM-140 ATACMS The MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS ) is a supersonic tactical ballistic missile designed and manufactured by the American defense company Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), and later, through acquisitions, Lockheed Martin. The missile uses ...

tactical ballistic missile battalion. He studied at the Army War College and the

NATO Defence College NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy. History The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, t ...

in the 1970s. He is married to Özenç Özkök and has two children. In his retirement he is pursuing photography and poetry.

Career

After graduating from the Army War College in 1972, Özkök moved into military staff, initially with the Special Weapons Branch of the

Allied Forces Southern Europe The Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) is a NATO military command based in Lago Patria, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after effectively redesigning its predecessor command, Allied Forces Southe ...

(AFSOUTH), and then at

SHAPE A shape is a graphics, graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface. It is distinct from other object properties, such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material ...

. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1984 and worked as Chief of Planning and Operations for the General Staff (TGS). From 1986 to 1988 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 Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in 1992 when he was sent to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

to head the Turkish NATO Military Delegation for three years. On August 30, 1996, Özkök was promoted to

full general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. ...

and took charge of the NATO

Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe The Allied Land Command (LANDCOM), formerly Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (LANDSOUTHEAST), is the standing Staff (military), headquarters for NATO land forces which may be assigned as necessary. The Commander of LANDCOM is the primary Gr ...

(LANDSOUTHEAST) located in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

. He returned again to the TGS in 1998, this time as deputy chief. After a brief stint as the commander of the First Army in Istanbul, he was made commander of the Turkish Army in 2002, succeeding

Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu (born Hüseyin Kıvrık, 1934) 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. Biography Born in ...

. He served as chairman until his retirement on August 30, 2006. The ''Chronicle'' said that during his tenure as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he opposed the plans of some of his peers who wanted to stage another coup d'etat and narrowly evaded assassination with a tip-off from the CIA on 3 February 2004. Major general Fehmi Büyükbayram of the Ankara central garrison changed Özkök's schedule in order to protect him. Another attempt was allegedly prevented with a tip-off from the United Kingdom. Özkök recognized the allegations made in the ''Chronicle'', but rejected some of the others, saying that the military would have taken the necessary precautions had they been true. In a 2007 interview Özkök said that he did not eat from the army canteen. People inferred that he feared poisoning, but Özkök replied that he merely wanted healthier food. A common complaint against him by his former colleagues has been that he often seems to avoid alcohol, as an admiral in Turkish navy wrote in his personal diary "what we found in his (ozkok) glass turned out to be Coca-Cola while he was pretending to be drinking

Awards

*(Turkish) State Medal of Honor *

Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor () is the highest medal that can be bestowed upon an individual by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and was first created on July 27, 1967. Technical specifications General Five large and five small gold ...

Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service () was first created on July 27, 1967 and took its current form on July 29, 1983. Technical specifications General Five large and five small stars on dark blue background circling an insignia of ...

Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice () is one of the highest medals that can be bestowed upon an individual by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and was created on July 3, 1975. Technical specifications General Sil ...

* U.S. Legion Of Merit *

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Golden Eagle * Pakistani Medal of Nishan-I Imtiaz *Great Cross for Military Merit of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

* France Medal of Merit *

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Tong-Il Medal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozkok, Hilmi 1940 births People from Turgutlu Turkish Military Academy alumni Army War College (Turkey) alumni Turkish Army generals Deputy chiefs of the Turkish General Staff Commanders of the Turkish Land Forces Chiefs of the Turkish General Staff Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite Order of National Security Merit members Living people