Türkiye promotes Özlem Karapınar as Air Force’s first female general

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

ANKARA, TÜRKİYE — Colonel Özlem Karapınar has been promoted to brigadier general, making her the first woman to reach general rank in the history of the Turkish Air Force.

The promotion was approved during Türkiye’s 2026 Supreme Military Council, or YAŞ, meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 4. Karapınar’s new rank will formally take effect on Aug. 30. Türkiye’s first astronaut, Air Force Colonel Alper Gezeravcı, was also promoted to brigadier general in the same round of decisions.

Why Karapınar’s promotion is historic

Women have served in flight, engineering, medical, training and headquarters roles across the Turkish Air Force, but none had previously reached the general officer ranks.

Karapınar was among 18 Air Force colonels selected for promotion to brigadier general. The official list also included Gezeravcı and 16 other colonels. Their promotions will enter into force on Aug. 30.

Her appointment represents a milestone in access to senior command positions, where women have historically remained less visible than in junior and mid-level military roles.

Karapınar should, however, be described precisely as the Turkish Air Force’s first woman general, rather than Türkiye’s first woman general overall.

That wider distinction belongs to Özlem Yılmaz of the Gendarmerie General Command, who was promoted to brigadier general by presidential decree in August 2022. Yılmaz became the first woman in the history of the Republic of Türkiye to attain general rank.

The published YAŞ decisions did not include a detailed official biography of Karapınar. Personal and career information circulating without confirmation from the Defence Ministry or Air Force should therefore be treated cautiously.

Another first was recorded in the Land Forces

Karapınar was not the only woman to make history under the 2026 decisions.

Army Colonel Armağan Özel was also promoted to brigadier general, becoming the first woman general in the Turkish Land Forces. The two officers will become the first women to hold general rank in their respective service branches when the promotions take effect.

Women had already reached flag rank in the Turkish Navy. Gökçen Fırat was promoted to rear admiral after the 2023 Supreme Military Council meeting, becoming the first woman admiral in the Navy’s history. NATO’s Allied Maritime Command publicly congratulated her following that appointment.

The progression now covers the Gendarmerie, Navy, Air Force and Land Forces, although the number of women in the highest military ranks remains small.

The significance of these appointments will ultimately be measured not only by individual firsts, but by whether women continue to gain access to the operational, command and professional assignments that prepare officers for senior promotion.

Türkiye’s first astronaut also became a general

Alper Gezeravcı, Türkiye’s first astronaut and a Turkish Air Force pilot, was promoted from colonel to brigadier general in the same YAŞ list.

Gezeravcı became a colonel in 2023 before undertaking Türkiye’s first crewed space mission. He travelled to the International Space Station in January 2024 and later continued serving as a member of the Air Force Space Command.

His promotion gives the 2026 Air Force list a second symbolic dimension. Karapınar’s appointment marks a breakthrough for women in the command hierarchy, while Gezeravcı’s promotion reflects the growing place of space-related expertise within Türkiye’s defence structure.

The appointments do not by themselves disclose the officers’ next assignments. Promotion to brigadier general establishes rank, while specific command and headquarters duties may be announced separately through the relevant military and administrative processes.

Air Force command changed under the YAŞ decisions

The Supreme Military Council also approved a change at the top of the Air Force.

Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu was retired because of a lack of an available position at his rank. General Rafet Dalkıran, who had been serving as commander of the Combatant Air Force, was appointed as the new Turkish Air Force commander.

The council extended the tenure of Navy Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu for one additional year. No replacement was announced for Chief of the General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu or Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel.

Within the Air Force’s senior ranks, Lieutenant General Erdoğan Gür was promoted to full general, Major General Kemal Turan to lieutenant general and Brigadier General Cihangir Kemal Yüzçelik to major general.

These decisions indicate both change and continuity: a new Air Force commander will take office while other parts of the senior command structure remain in place.

The council approved 94 promotions and 63 retirements

Across the Turkish Armed Forces, the 2026 council promoted 25 serving generals and admirals to the next rank.

A further 69 colonels were promoted into the general or admiral ranks, bringing the total number of officers receiving rank promotions to 94. Of the colonels selected, 40 came from the Land Forces, 11 from the Navy and 18 from the Air Force.

The service terms of 24 generals and admirals were extended for one year, while 530 colonels received two-year extensions.

Two generals will retire because they reached the age limit. Another 61 generals and admirals will be retired because no positions are available for them, bringing the total number of senior officers ordered into retirement to 63.

Following the promotions and retirements, the total number of generals and admirals in the Turkish Armed Forces is expected to rise from 328 to 334 on Aug. 30.

The figures reflect the annual restructuring carried out through YAŞ, which reviews senior promotions, service extensions, command appointments and retirements.

What happens next

The new ranks and most of the retirement decisions will take effect on Aug. 30, Türkiye’s Victory Day. The two age-limit retirements are scheduled to become effective on Sept. 1.

Karapınar will then formally become a brigadier general and the first woman general in Turkish Air Force history. Her eventual assignment will help indicate whether the promotion leads to a significant operational, training or headquarters leadership position.

The appointment also carries a broader institutional message. Military promotions are based on service records, qualifications, available positions and command requirements, but highly visible firsts can influence how younger officers view their own career prospects.

Türkiye’s earlier appointments of Özlem Yılmaz in the Gendarmerie and Gökçen Fırat in the Navy were followed by public messages encouraging more women to enter officer and non-commissioned officer careers.

Karapınar’s promotion now extends that representation to the Turkish Air Force’s general officer corps. Alongside Armağan Özel’s promotion in the Land Forces, the 2026 council decisions mark a notable expansion of women’s presence in Türkiye’s senior military hierarchy.

WiseNewsPress.com