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General Hilmi Özkök (born 1940) is the current Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Turkey (Turk Silahli Kuvvetleri, TSK). He took up that post on August 28, 2002 and will serve for four years.
According to the Turkish constitution, he is responsible to the Prime Minister, in peacetime, he serves as the Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces and in times of war, he assumes the "Commander in Chief" authority on behalf of the President. The army is a major base of secular political power in Turkey, it last intervened to force the resignation of Necmettin Erbakan and his government in 1997.
He was born in Turgutlu, Manisa and has been a career soldier. He was educated at the Isiklar (Işıklar) Military High School in Bursa and went from there in 1957 to complete a two year course at the Turkish military Academy. Özkök left there as a second Lieutenant in the artillery. He studied at the Army War College and the NATO Defence College in the 1970s.
After completing the course at the Army War College in 1972, Özkök moved into military staff, initially with the Special Weapons Branch of the Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) and then at SHAPE. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1984 and worked as Chief of Planning and Operations for the General Staff (TGS). From 1986-1988 he commanded the 70th Infantry Brigade and on his promotion to Major General in 1988 he commanded the 28th Infantry Division. He returned to the TGS in 1990 and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1992 when he was sent to Brussels to head the Turkish NATO Military Delegation for three years.
On August 30, 1996 Özkök was promoted to full General and took charge of the NATO Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (LANDSOUTHEAST) located in İzmir. He returned again to the TGS in 1998, this time as Deputy Chief. After a brief stint with the 1st Army he was made Commander of the Turkish Army in 2000 before receiving his current post, succeeding Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu.
General Özkök has been awarded; Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor, Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service, Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice, USA Legion Of Merit, Pakistani Medal of Nishan-I Imtiaz, the Great Cross for Military Merit of Spain and Republic of Korea Tong-Il Medal.
He is married to Özenç and has two children.