Military ranks of Turkey

The Military ranks of Turkey are the military insignia used by the Turkish Armed Forces.

Turkish Land Forces

Officers

NATO codeOF-10OF-9OF-8OF-7OF-6OF-5OF-4OF-3OF-2OF-1OF(D)Student officer
 Turkish Land Forces
Various
[note 1]
Mareşal Genelkurmay
Başkanlığı
[note 2]
Orgeneral Korgeneral Tümgeneral Tuğgeneral Albay Yarbay Binbaşı Yüzbaşı Üsteğmen Teğmen Asteğmen Harbiyeli

Enlisted

NATO CodeOR-9OR-8OR-7OR-6OR-5OR-4OR-3OR-2OR-1
 Turkish Land Forces
No insignia
Astsubay Kıdemli
Başçavuş
Astsubay
Başçavuş
Astsubay Kıdemli
Üstçavuş
Astsubay
Üstçavuş
Astsubay Kıdemli
Çavuş
Astsubay
Çavuş
Astsubay
Astçavuş
Uzman
Çavuş
Çavuş Uzman
Onbaşı
Onbaşı Er

Turkish Air Force

Officers

NATO codeOF-10OF-9OF-8OF-7OF-6OF-5OF-4OF-3OF-2OF-1OF(D)Student officer
 Turkish Air Force
Various [note 3]
Mareşal Orgeneral Korgeneral Tümgeneral Tuğgeneral Albay Yarbay Binbaşı Yüzbaşı Üsteğmen Teğmen Asteğmen Harbiyeli

Enlisted

NATO CodeOR-9OR-8OR-7OR-6OR-5OR-4OR-3OR-2OR-1
 Turkish Air Force
Astsubay Kıdemli Başçavuş Astsubay Başçavuş Astsubay Kıdemli Üstçavuş Astsubay Üstçavuş Astsubay Kıdemli Çavuş Astsubay Çavuş Astsubay Astçavuş Uzman Çavuş Çavuş Uzman Onbaşı Onbaşı Er

Turkish Naval Forces

Officers

NATO codeOF-10OF-9OF-8OF-7OF-6OF-5OF-4OF-3OF-2OF-1OF(D)Student officer
 Turkish Naval Forces
Various [note 4]
Büyükamiral Oramiral Koramiral Tümamiral Tuğamiral Albay Yarbay Binbaşı Yüzbaşı Üsteğmen Teğmen Asteğmen Bahriyeli

Note : Commodores in the Turkish navy are not given special ranks or insignia. In the Turkish navy a commodore is not a rank but a position (usually group commander). Commodores almost always have the rank of Captain (Albay), but can fly their special pennants and wear special ribbons.[1]

  • Tuğamiral (Rear Admiral/Lower Half) is the lowest admiral's rank. Their shoulderboards are covered in gold lace, and have a silver garland with swords crossed in the middle (General's mark) and a silver five pointed star above that. All admirals also wear two rows of leaves on their caps.
  • Tümamiral (Rear Admiral/Upper Half) wears the same shoulderboards as Tuğamiral s, but with two silver stars.
  • Koramiral (Vice Admiral): There are usually six Koramiral s in the whole navy. Koramiral s wear three silver stars on the usual shoulder boards.
  • Oramiral (Admiral): There are two oramirals, one of them is the Commander of the Naval Forces (Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanı ), while the other is Commander of the Turkish Fleet (Donanma Komutanı). Oramiral s wear shoulder boards with four silver stars, and three normal stripes (the top one with the curl) above the broad stripe.
  • Genelkurmay Başkanı (Chief of the Turkish General Staff) assumes command of the Turkish Armed Forces, and although he is commonly appointed from the Turkish Army, he is entitled to wear all uniforms in the Turkish Armed Forces, including the Navy's. When he wears the Navy's uniform, he wears the oramiral's shoulder boards with specially embroidered lace as the base, and he wears the oramiral's sleeve stripes with the broad stripe also embroidered and decorated with leaves.
  • Büyük Amiral (Admiral of the Fleet): This is a wartime-only rank and has never been awarded to any member of the Turkish Navy. Its army equivalent, Mareşal (Field Marshal), has had only two bearers in the republic's history: Marshal Fevzi Çakmak and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself. A Büyük Amiral would wear shoulder boards with special gold handwork on red velvet, decorated with golden leaves, and with a general's garland on top of that.

Rank pennants and flags (ensigns)

Pennants are only flown for officers who assume command of an independent unit. Staff officers who work in headquarters do not fly pennants.

  • Flandra (Masthead Pennant) : The Flandra is flown when the ship's commanding officer boards the ship. It is quite like a very long red stripe with a crescent moon and star close to the mast.
  • Group Commander : For group commanders, a red triangular pennant with one bomb (twenty pointed white star) is flown.
  • Regiment Commanders : For regiment commanders, a square red flag with an anchor in the middle is flown.
  • Commodores : A swallow-tailed red pennant with two bombs (one on the upper left corner, the other one below that) is flown.

Enlisted

NATO CodeOR-9OR-8OR-7OR-6OR-5OR-4OR-3OR-2OR-1
 Turkish Naval Forces
No insignia
Astsubay Kıdemli
Başçavuş
Astsubay
Başçavuş
Astsubay Kıdemli
Üstçavuş
Astsubay
Üstçavuş
Astsubay Kıdemli
Çavuş
Astsubay
Çavuş
Kıdemli Uzman
Çavuş
Uzman
Çavuş
Çavuş Kıdemli Uzman
Onbaşı
Uzman
Onbaşı
Onbaşı Er

Rates (insignia of category)

There are several major categories in the Navy for different professions. Insignia of category are worn right above the circle in the topmost stripe, both on the sleeve and the shoulder board. It is a small round patch with gold-coloured needlework. Line officers and admirals do not wear these patches. (Admirals with special circumstances (doctors and engineers) may wear them on their sleeves, but not shoulders)

  • Naval Infantry (Marines) : In the Turkish armed forces, marines are subordinates to the navy and wear the Navy's uniforms. Their patch consists of an anchor and two rifles crossing it.
  • Combat Engineer (Civil Engineer) : A combat engineer wears a patch with the portrayal of what seems to be a fortress, beyond the sea.
  • Supply : Supply officers wear a branch with three gold-coloured leaves.
  • Hydrography/Oceanography : These officers wear a patch which portrays a lighthouse, with two beams of light heading away from each other.
  • Medical Corps (Medical Doctors) : Doctors bear the Staff of Asclepius, a staff with a single snake entangled around it.
  • Pharmacists : Pharmacists wear the image of a cup, with a snake around it and a branch surrounding both.
  • Dentists : Dentists wear a staff with a branch around it.
  • Engineers : An engineer wears the image of a protractor and a pair of compasses beneath that.
  • Legal (Prosecutors/Judges) : Officers of this category wear a patch that includes a book laying open and a pair of scales behind that.
  • Instructors : Instructors wear a patch with a book laying open with a torch behind.
  • Band Musician : A band musician wears a patch with a musical harp.
  • Nurse : Officers from the Nurses’ Corps wear a single golden crescent with the corners pointed upwards.
  • Intelligence : The Intelligence patch consists of a golden circle with a cross in between; embroidered with arrows at each point the cross cuts the circle. Portrayed as if this Wheel was turning around its own axis.
  • Staff Officers : Staff officers, are the officers who assume command or important positions in other headquarters, with a specialty in military personnel and supplies management. They wear a single golden five-point star as their patch of category.

Notes

  1. Student officer insignia designates school grade rather than military seniority.
  2. Chief of the Army General Staff. The background color may be different if he is not from air forces or navy. If he has been promoted to Mareşal on duty, he wears OF-10 insignia only.
  3. Student officer insignia denotes school grade rather than military seniority.
  4. Student officer insignia denotes school grade rather than military seniority.

References

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