Halil Sözer

Halil Sözer (born March 10, 1923 in Gemlik , Bursa Province ) is a former Turkish General of the Air Force (Hava Kuvetleri) , who was Secretary General of the National Security Council in 1980 and was most recently the Air Force Commander between 1983 and 1986 .

Life

After visiting the cadet institute in Bursa in 1943, Sözer began training as an officer at the Army School ( Kara Harp Okulu ) , which he completed on August 30, 1945 as an ensign (Asteğmen) . After a short visit to the Infantry Rifle School (Piyade Atış Okulu) in Çankırı , he began his pilot training in 1945 at the flight school (Hava Okulu) in Eskişehir , which he completed in 1947 with the license to fly. He then found use in the 5th Air Force Regiment in Bursa, before he was a flight instructor at the flight training school between 1950 and 1957 and finally a weapons systems officer at the 1st Air Force Base. On September 19, 1957, he began his training at the Air Force Academy (Hava Harp Akademisi) , which he graduated in 1959. Then he was on August 28, 1959 operations officer in the 8th Air Force Base belonging to the 182nd Squadron, whose commander he was on September 15, 1960. He was then on August 7, 1961 head of the operations department of the 3rd Air Force Command and completed after a subsequent use as a lecturer at the Air Force Academy between August 1962 and February 1963 a course at the United States Air Force Academy .

After his return and a further use Sözer was on August 27, 1965 head of the operations training department in the headquarters of the 9th Air Force Base and on September 9, 1966 head of the working group for personnel training supply at the headquarters of the air force. After graduating from the NATO Defense College in Rome from August 1 to September 1, 1967 , he became Head of Department for Policy Planning at Air Force Headquarters.

On August 30, 1968 Sözer was promoted to Brigadier General (Tuğgeneral) and took over the post of commander of the 3rd Air Force Base (3rd Ana Jet Üs Komutanlığı) in Konya , before he became deputy head of the personnel department at the Air Force Headquarters on September 3, 1970 . After his promotion to major general (Tümgeneral) he became head of the personnel department at the headquarters of the air force on August 30, 1971 and then commander of the air force academy on August 30, 1973, before he succeeded Major General Refik Işıtman between August 19, 1974 and his replacement by Major General Halit Toroslu on August 21, 1975 in command of the Air Force School.

In 1975 Sözer was promoted to lieutenant general (co- general ) and was initially head of the research department at the headquarters of the air forces, then between 1976 and 1977 Chief of the Air Force Staff (Hava Kuvvetleri Kurmay Başkanlığı) , from 1977 to 1978 commander of the 1st tactical department responsible for Western Turkey Air force commandos (1st tactic Hava Kuvveti Komutanı) in Eskişehir and most recently between 1978 and 1979 commander of the air defense command (Hava Savunma Komutanlığı) .

After his promotion to general (Orgeneral) Sözer was 1979 member of the Supreme Military Council YAŞ (Yüksek Askerî Şûra) and then on August 18, 1980 as successor to Admiral Arif Akdoğanlar Secretary General of the Supreme Military Council ( Millî Güvenlik Kurulu ) . However, after the military coup of September 12, 1980 , he gave this post to Lieutenant General Talat Çetineli on October 8, 1980 , while on October 10, 1980 he succeeded Süreyya Yüksel as commander of the military academies (TSK Harp Akademileri Komutanı) . He remained in this post until August 24, 1981, when he was replaced by General İsmail Hakkı Akansel . He himself was then Deputy Commander of the Air Force between August 24, 1981 and December 6, 1983.

Most recently, General Sözer succeeded General Tahsin Şahinkaya as Commander of the Air Force (Hava Kuvetleri Komutanlığı) on December 6, 1983 and held this position until he retired on August 22, 1986. His successor was then General Cemil Çuha .

Sözer, who is married and has two children, speaks not only Turkish but also English . For his services he was honored with the Medal of the Turkish Armed Forces for Outstanding Services (Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Üstün Hizmet Madalyası) and the Medal of Honor of the Turkish Armed Forces (Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Şeref Madalyası) .

Web links

• Entry on the Air Force homepage (page accessed on August 31, 2016)
• Entry in Kim Kimdir? (Who is who?)