Military ranks of Turkey

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

Special insignia The Chief of the Turkish General Staff is allowed to wear special insignia. Branch Army Air force Navy Insignia Name

Turkish Land Forces

Officer ranks Literal translation Marshal Army general Corps general Division general Brigade general Regiment chief Vice chief Leader of a thousand Leader of a hundred Senior lieutenant Lieutenant Junior lieutenant U.S. equivalent General of the Army General Lieutenant general Major general Brigadier general Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain First lieutenant Second lieutenant Cadet / Officer candidate

Other ranks Literal translation Noncommissioned senior sergeant major Noncommissioned sergeant major Noncommissioned senior superior sergeant Noncommissioned superior sergeant Noncommissioned senior sergeant Noncommissioned sergeant Junior noncommissioned sergeant Specialist sergeant Sergeant Specialist head of ten Head of ten Private U.S. equivalent Command sergeant major Master sergeant Sergeant first class Staff sergeant Sergeant Corporal Private Private

Turkish Air Forces

Officer ranks U.S. equivalent General of the Air Force General Lieutenant general Major general Brigadier general Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain First lieutenant Second lieutenant Cadet / Officer trainee

Other ranks U.S. equivalent Chief master sergeant Senior master sergeant Master sergeant Technical sergeant Staff sergeant Senior airman/Sergeant Airman first class Airman basic

Turkish Naval Forces Officer ranks U.S. equivalent Fleet admiral Admiral Vice admiral Rear admiral Rear admiral(lower half) Captain Commander Lieutenant commander Lieutenant Lieutenant(junior grade) Ensign Midshipman / officer candidate

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. (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. (Rear Admiral/Upper Half) wears the same shoulderboards as s, but with two silver stars. (Vice Admiral): There are usually six s in the whole navy. s wear three silver stars on the usual shoulder boards. (Admiral): There are two oramirals, one of them is the Commander of the Naval Forces ( ), while the other is Commander of the Turkish Fleet (). wear shoulder boards with four silver stars, and three normal stripes (the top one with the curl) above the broad stripe. (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. (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, (Field Marshal), has had only two bearers in the republic's history: Marshal Fevzi Çakmak and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself. A 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.

Other ranks U.S. equivalent Master chief petty officer Senior chief petty officer Chief petty officer Petty officer first class Petty officer second class Petty officer third class Seaman recruit

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. Prosecutors/Judges: Officers of this category wear a patch that includes a book laying open and a pair of scales behind that. Legal: Officers Officers of this category wear a patch that includes a book laying open and a pair of "H" above it. 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.

Gendarmerie General Command Officer ranks

Other ranks

Uzman Jandarma In 1988 the (Law No. 3466 on Specialized Gendarmerie) was passed, which established the rank category of . attend the (Specialist Gendarmerie School) for 1 year of training, covering military and legal topics. Attendees are selected from those who have completed their 6-month conscription and who can pass a written entrance exam. who complete training are then required to serve for 15 years.

NATO code OR-4 Candidate Turkish Gendarmerie

The was closed in 2012, and as a result no new would be trained, with those in the rank class retaining their rank until they retire.

YearNumber of 2011 24,700 2012 24,176 2013 24,292 2014 23,380 2015 22,394 2016 21,917 2017 18,526 2018 17,711 2019 16,847 2020 15,390 2021 14,450 2022 13,815 2023 12,555 2024 11,646

Uzman Çavuş NATO code OR-4 Turkish Gendarmerie

Coast Guard

Officers

Enlisted

The coast guards wear the same rank and rate insignia as ordinary navy officers but with an orange thin arc-shaped stripe, with the words "" (Coast Guards) embroidered in black, worn on their upper right arm, close to the shoulder. Also, special pennants are flown for the senior officers of the Coast Guard.

Commander of the Coast Guard : For the Commander of the Coast Guard, a square orange coloured flag with a black stripe running diagonally across the left side of the flag, also bearing three bombs is flown. Coast Guard Commander (Rank of Captain) : For these officers, a swallow tailed pennant with a horizontal black stripe across the flag, dividing it in two, also bearing a bomb on each side of the stripe, is flown. Coast Guard School Commander : The Coast Guard School Commander has a square orange flag, with a white anchor in the center and a vertical black stripe just near the mast. Coast Guard Group Commander : The Group Commander has a triangular orange pennant, with a black anchor in the middle.

Historic ranks Turkish Land Forces and Turkish Air Force Officers The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Turkish Land & Air Forces(1920–1924) (General staff) (Combat engineer) (Medical) (Artillery) (Cavalry) (Infantry) (Infantry) (Infantry) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1924–1933) (General staff) (Medical) (Gendarmerie) (Artillery) (Cavalry) (Aviation) (Infantry) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1933–1935) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1935–1938) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1938–1947) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1947–1956) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1956–1964)

Turkish Land Forces and Turkish Air Force Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. Rank group Non-commissioned officer Enlisted Turkish Land & Air Forces(1920–1924) No insignia (Artillery) (Cavalry) (Combat engineer) (Infantry) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1924–1933) No insignia (Infantry) (Artillery) (Cavalry) (Gendarmerie) (Quartermaster) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1933–1947) No insignia (Infantry) (Infantry) (Infantry) (Infantry) (Infantry) (Infantry) Turkish Land & Air Forces(1947–1953) No insignia Turkish Land & Air Forces(1953–1956) No insignia Turkish Land & Air Forces(1956–1970) No insignia

Turkish Naval Forces Officers The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Turkish Naval Forces(1920–1926) Turkish Naval Forces(1926–1933) Turkish Naval Forces(1933–1935) Turkish Naval Forces(1935–1938) Turkish Naval Forces(1938–1947) Turkish Naval Forces(1947–1956)

Turkish Naval Forces Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted Turkish Naval Forces(1920―1933) No insignia (Line) (Line) (Line) (Line) (Line) (Line) (Line) Turkish Naval Forces(1933―1942) No insignia (Gunner) (Gunner) (Gunner) (Gunner) (Line) (Line) Turkish Naval Forces(1942―1947) No insignia No insignia(Gunner)(Gunner)(Gunner)(Gunner)(Line)(Gunner)(Line) Turkish Naval Forces(1947―1956) No insignia No insignia(Gunner)(Gunner)(Gunner)(Gunner)(Line)(Gunner)(Line) Turkish Naval Forces(1956―1970) No insignia (Line) (Line) (Line) (Line) (Line) (Submarine)

See also Military ranks of the Ottoman Empire

Notes

References

Bibliography