General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt (1 September 1940 – 21 November 2019) was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff 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 ...

, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.

Biography

General Yaşar Büyükanıt was born in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, on 1 September 1940. He joined the Erzincan Military High School in 1959. He graduated from the Turkish Military Academy in 1961 as an infantry officer. After graduating from the Infantry School in 1963, he served in different units of the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

as a

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

and commando company commander until 1970. Following his graduation from the Army Staff College in 1972, he served as the Chief of Operations at the 6th Infantry Division. Also, as an instructor at the Army Staff College, as the chief of the Intelligence Division Basic Intelligence Branch Forces and Systems Section at the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, as the section and then branch chief of the General-Admiral Branch at the

Turkish General Staff The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Genelkurmay Başkanlığı'', ''abbreviation: TSK Gnkur. Bşk.lığı'') is the highest staff organization in the Turkish Armed Forces. Chief ...

(TGS) Headquarters, as the commander of Kuleli Military High School and of the Presidential Guard Regiment. After graduating from 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 ...

, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1988. He served as the 2nd Armored Brigade Commander and then as the chief of Intelligence Department at AFSOUTH Headquarters in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Having been promoted to rank of major general in 1992, General Büyükanıt served as the secretary general of the

and then as the superintendent of the Turkish Army Academy. He was promoted to the rank of

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 1996 and served as the 7th Army Corps Commander until 1998, after which he became the chief of operations of the TGS. In 2000, he was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and served as the deputy chief of TGS until 2003. He later served as the commander of the First Army. General Büyükanıt was appointed as the commander of the

in 2004. He assumed the command of the

on 28 August 2006. Yaşar Büyükanıt was married to Filiz Büyükanıt, with whom he had a daughter, Bengü. She died on 18 November 2019. Yaşar Büyükanıt died in a hospital, where he was treated, on 21 November 2019, three days after his spouse's death. He was buried at Karacaahmet Cemetery following a memorial ceremony held at the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

of the First Army and the religious funeral service at Big Selimiye Mosque. He was survived by daughter Bengü Büyükanıt Caymaz.

Political controversies

In a speech at the commencement of the academic year at the Turkish Military Academy on 2 October 2006, which was interpreted as a "harsh salvo" in Turkish media, Büyükanıt expressed support for secular values and outlined a hard stance against the PKK. Büyükanıt also asserted that certain EU and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

-allied countries have intentionally allowed terrorist organizations acting against Turkey, to base and run operations in their own territories, inconsistent with Turkey's relations and alliance with those countries. The Turkish military published a statement on 27 April 2007, two days before the second Republic Protest, as the 2007 presidential election was ongoing. This statement, later called the " E-memorandum", warned against Islamic fundamentalism, which was alleged to pose a threat to the secular Republican nature of the Turkish state. Büyükanıt, then Chief of General Staff, said that it was him who wrote this statement but he denied that it was a memorandum. Later, Büyükanıt held a 2.5 hours long secretive meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 5 May 2007 at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul.

Decorations

* Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor * Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice * Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service * United States Armed Forces Legion of Merit * Italian Armed Forces Medal of Merit * Pakistani Medal of Nishan-e-Imtiaz

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buyukanit, Yasar 1940 births Military personnel from Istanbul 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 the Legion of Merit Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz 2019 deaths Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery