Sebahattin Işık Koşaner (born 5 December 1945) is a Turkish former army general who served as the 27th

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 * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

from 2010 to 2011.

Biography

Koşaner was born in İzmir, Turkey, in 1945. He graduated from the

Turkish Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy ( tr, Kara Harp Okulu) is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is to develop cadets mentally and ph ...

in 1965 and the Infantry School in 1966. Until 1976 he served in several contingents of the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), 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 ...

as a

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

and

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

commander, as an instructor at the Mountain Commando School & Training Center Command in

Eğirdir Eğirdir is a town and district of Isparta Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. History The town and the lake were formerly called ''Eğridir'', a Turkish pronunciation and possible appropriation of the town's old Greek name Akrotori. ...

, and as a platoon commander within the Turkish Commando Brigade during

Operation Atilla The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and in response to a Greek junta-spo ...

in 1974 . He was later appointed as the commander of the Special Operations Forces at the Turkish General Staff Headquarters in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

. Koşaner graduated from the Turkish Army Staff College in 1978 and served as a command officer at the Special Warfare Department Command of the Turkish General Staff Headquarters in Ankara. After graduating from the

NATO Defence College NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for 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, the f ...

, he served as a command officer at

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's Headquarters

Allied Forces Southern Europe Allied 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 Sou ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Koşaner later served at the Planning and Coordination Department of the Logistics Command within the Turkish 3rd Army. After graduating from the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

(RCDS) in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, Koşaner was appointed as the head of the Strategy Division within the Strategy and Forces Planning Department of the Turkish General Staff Headquarters in

. As a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

he commanded the 131st Infantry Regiment at the 8th Infantry Division of the Turkish Army before being appointed as the commander of the Special Operations Command at the Turkish General Staff Headquarters in Ankara. In 1992 Koşaner was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and was appointed with the command of the Logistic Planning Department and later the 1st Commando Brigade of the Turkish Army. Koşaner was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1996 and was appointed with the command of the Turkish Army Academy. In 2000 Koşaner was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

and served as the undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Defense and later as the commander of the

Cyprus Turkish Peace Force The Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command ( tr, Kıbrıs Türk Barış Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı) is the Turkish garrison in Cyprus. In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus following a Greek Cypriot coup d'état (organized and supported by the G ...

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...

. Koşaner was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in 2004 and served as the commander of the Turkish Aegean Army and later as the deputy chief of the Turkish General Staff.

High command

On 4 August 2006, General Koşaner was appointed as the commander of the

Turkish Gendarmerie The Gendarmerie General Command ( tr, Jandarma Genel Komutanlığı) is the national Gendarmerie force of the Republic of Turkey. It is a service branch of the Turkish Ministry of Interior responsible for the maintenance of the public order in a ...

. He was followed by General Avni Atila Işık as the Gendarmerie commander, when he took over the command of Turkish Army on 30 August 2008. On 8 August 2010, General Koşaner was appointed as the

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 * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

and took up the position on 30 August 2010. Koşaner, along with the leaders of army, navy and air force simultaneously requested to relinquish their duties and asked for their "retirement" on 29 July 2011, just few days before the important meeting scheduled for 1 August 2011 to discuss appointments of senior military officers. Retirement and Resignation are different terms in Turkish Civil Administrative System. The New York Times stated that their action was to protest the "sweeping arrests of dozens of generals" as a part of a conspiracy investigation. During the investigation that lasted more than a year, more than 40 generals (one tenth of top military commanders) were taken into custody. There were some disagreements between the military and the government as the military wanted to promote some officers but could not since they were suspects of the conspiracy investigation. General Işık Koşaner is married to Nurdan Koşaner and has two children.

References

External links

Turkish Gendarmerie Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosaner, Isik 1945 births People from İzmir Turkish Military Academy alumni Army War College (Turkey) alumni Turkish Army generals Turkish military personnel of the Cyprus conflicts Deputy Chiefs of the Turkish General Staff General Commanders of the Gendarmerie of Turkey Commanders of the Turkish Land Forces Chiefs of the Turkish General Staff Living people

Biography

High command

See also

References

External links