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| Orgeneral Hulusi Akar | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hulusi Akar |
| Birth date | 1952-01-12 |
| Birth place | Kayseri |
| Allegiance | Turkey |
| Branch | Turkish Armed Forces |
| Serviceyears | 1972–2018 |
| Rank | Orgeneral |
| Laterwork | Minister of National Defense (2018–2023) |
Orgeneral Hulusi Akar (born 12 January 1952) is a Turkish Orgeneral and statesman who served as the 29th Chief of the General Staff and later as Minister of National Defense in the governments of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. His career spans command posts within the Turkish Land Forces, international cooperation with NATO, and involvement in major security operations in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, Syria, and Iraq. He has been a central figure in debates over civil-military relations during the 2016 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt and Turkey’s subsequent regional policy.
Akar was born in Kayseri and graduated from the Kuleli Military High School preparatory system before entering the Turkish Military Academy in the early 1970s. He completed advanced staff education at the Army War College and undertook courses at the NATO Defence College in Rome. His formative training linked him to the professional officer corps associated with the Turkish Land Forces and the institutional networks of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey.
Akar’s early postings included command roles in infantry and mechanized units within the Turkish Land Forces and staff appointments at the Second Army (Turkey), Aegean Army, and the Gendarmerie General Command. He held brigade and division commands before serving as Chief of Staff of the Third Army (Turkey) and later as Commander of the First Army of Turkey. He participated in operations addressing conflicts along the Turkey–Iraq border and counterinsurgency efforts related to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). His career involved cooperation with NATO structures, liaison with the United States Department of Defense, coordination with the European Union defense mechanisms, and engagement with partner militaries including the Russian Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in diplomatic-military fora.
Appointed Chief of the General Staff in 2015, Akar assumed responsibility for modernization programs within the Turkish Armed Forces and oversaw strategic responses to the Syrian Civil War, including the Operation Euphrates Shield and preparations related to Operation Olive Branch. During the 2016 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Akar was detained by factions of the Turkish Gendarmerie and later rescued; the incident precipitated major reconfigurations in civil-military relations involving the Presidency of Turkey and the AKP. His tenure saw increased procurement and indigenous defense initiatives tied to agencies such as the SSB and collaborations with firms like Turkish Aerospace Industries and Roketsan. Akar engaged with counterparts from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Defence (Russia), the Pentagon, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense on security coordination and regional deconfliction.
In 2018 Akar retired from the Turkish Armed Forces and was appointed Minister of National Defense in the Ak Party-led cabinet of Binali Yıldırım and later the cabinets of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As minister he directed procurements including the F-35 Lightning II program disputes with the United States and advanced projects in domestic systems such as the Anka (unmanned aerial vehicle), ALTAY (tank), and naval programs with STM (company). He managed Turkey’s military operations in northern Syria, negotiations over S-400 air defense acquisitions from Russia, and cooperative defense dialogues with Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan. His ministerial term included visits to NATO headquarters, meetings with NATO Secretary Generals, and parliamentary defense committee briefings during legislative sessions of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Akar’s public positions reflect a pragmatic security doctrine shaped by state sovereignty concerns and regional interventionism. His involvement in responses to the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt generated scrutiny from human rights organizations and opposition parties such as the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the HDP over purges within the armed forces and emergency decrees issued by the Presidency of Turkey. Controversies during his ministerial tenure included the handling of relations with the United States Department of State over YPG designations, tensions with Greece and the European Union concerning maritime delimitation and hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, and debates over procurement choices involving the S-400 and exclusion from the F-35 Lightning II program.
Akar received numerous Turkish military decorations including service and merit medals from the Turkish General Staff and state honors conferred by the Presidency of Turkey. He was the recipient of foreign honors from allied states, including awards from the United States Department of Defense, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, and NATO partner recognitions during bilateral visits and multinational exercises such as Exercise Anatolian Eagle and Exercise Red Flag.
Akar is married with children and maintains ties to military family associations and veterans’ organizations. He has participated in commemorations at sites such as the Gallipoli battlefields, visited memorials related to the Kurdish–Turkish conflict, and engaged with academic institutions including the Middle East Technical University and the Istanbul Technical University on defense-related lectures.
Category:Turkish generals Category:Ministers of National Defense of Turkey