Salih Zeki Çolak (born 20 July 1954) is a Turkish retired Army general who served as the 49th commander of the Turkish Land Forces from 17 August 2015 to 23 August 2017 and commander of the First Army by the Supreme Military Council in 2014, and

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of the Land Forces.

Biography

Çolak was born in Akçaabat,

Trabzon Trabzon (; Ancient Greek: Tραπεζοῦς (''Trapezous''), Ophitic Pontic Greek: Τραπεζούντα (''Trapezounta''); Georgian: ტრაპიზონი (''Trapizoni'')), historically known as Trebizond in English, is a city on the Bl ...

, Turkey. He obtained his graduation from the Turkish Military Academy with ensign rank in 1974 and from the Artillery and Missile School with lieutenant rank in 1975. Before becoming a staff officer and obtaining graduation from the Army War College in 1988, he served at various military positions such as

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 ...

commander and artillery battery officer. After 1988 he was appointed to the Operations and Training Branch Directorate Command,

battalion commander A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

in the 49th Infantry Regiment, program officer in the General Staff Financial Planning Program Department, and military representation and the chief of staff in the Western European Union, Brussels. He also served as head in the 108th Artillery Regiment Command for the Press, Public Relations and Publicity department and

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the General Staff. After Çolak was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 2001, he served at the Appointment department and 19th Infantry Brigade Command of the Land Forces. With his promotion 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 2005, he was appointed as the head of Personnel department, the General Secretary of the General Staff and was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2005. In this rank, he served as the head of various branches of the Land Forces such as Personnel, the General Staff, the Armored Units School and the Training Division. He 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 ...

in 2009 and was subsequently appointed as commander of the 7th Corps and chief of staff in 2011. Following by his promotion to the rank of four-star

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 2013, he was transferred to the Training and Doctrine Command of the Land Forces. Çolak was held hostage at the Mürted Airfield Command during the

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt On 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They attempted to seize cont ...

by participants of the Peace at Home Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Çolak, Salih Zeki Living people 1954 births People from Trabzon Commanders of the Turkish Land Forces Commanders of the First Army of Turkey Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz