Turkish army appoints first female admiral

ANKARA

The Supreme Military Council has appointed Staff Colonel Gökçen Fırat, hailing from the Naval Forces Command, as the Turkish Armed Forces' first female admiral in its history. 

Born in Istanbul in 1977, Fırat began her career after graduating from the Naval Academy in 1998. Notably, she made history as Türkiye's inaugural female ship commander, commanding a training vessel responsible for preparing naval school students for duties at sea.

She has since served in various roles, including as an underwater weapons officer and an anti-submarine warfare officer on the TCG Yavuz frigate.

Fırat also served at the Turkish General Staff and the Defense Ministry. She then gained international experience by contributing to operations at the SACT Joint Warfare Center in Norway and the MC Northwood Naval Command in England, ultimately achieving the rank of naval staff colonel.

Furthermore, the council presided over by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 3 promoted 62 other colonels to general and admiral status, with 32 generals and admirals also promoted to the next rank.

Additionally, the term of office for 24 generals and admirals have been extended for one year, and 365 colonels will see their terms extended for two years.