Hulusi Akar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hulusi Akar
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Akar in 2019
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| Minister of National Defense | |
| In office 10 July 2018 – 3 June 2023 |
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| President | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Nurettin Canikli |
| Succeeded by | Yaşar Güler |
| 29th Chief of the Turkish General Staff | |
| In office 18 August 2015 – 10 July 2018 |
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| President | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Necdet Özel |
| Succeeded by | Yaşar Güler |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2 June 2023 |
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| Constituency | Kayseri (2023) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 March 1952 Kayseri, Turkey |
| Political party | Justice and Development Party |
| Spouse | Şule Akar |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | See below |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname | Seri Paşa |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Turkey |
| Branch/service | Turkish Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1973–2018 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands | Chief of the General Staff Commander of Land Forces Deputy Chief of the General Staff 3rd Land Forces Corps Land Forces Logistics Command Land Forces General Staff College Command Military Academy Command Chief of Plans and Policy Internal Security Brigade Command Chief of Public Information |
| Battles/wars | Bosnian War ISAF Coalition Kosovo War Turkey-PKK conflict Turkey-ISIL conflict Operation Shah Euphrates Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Olive Branch Operation Peace Spring |
Hulusi Akar (born 12 March 1952) is a retired general from the Turkish Armed Forces. He served as the Minister of National Defense for Turkey from 2018 to 2023. Before that, he was the 29th head of the Turkish army.
Akar also led missions with NATO, including helping in Afghanistan and during the Bosnian War and Kosovo War. He played a big part in Turkey's actions in the Syrian Civil War. In the 2023 elections, he was chosen to be a member of the Turkish Parliament for the Justice and Development Party.
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Early Life and Education
Hulusi Akar was born in 1952 in Kayseri, Turkey. He started his military education at the Turkish Military Academy in 1972. He then graduated from the Turkish Infantry School in 1973.
In 1975, he went to Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. There, he studied international relations at a higher level. He also studied computer programming and international relations at other universities in Turkey.
He earned his doctorate degree from Boğaziçi University. His doctorate paper was about Turkish-American relations in 1919. This paper was even published as a book.
Military Career
Akar held many different roles early in his career. He was a leader of various military groups. He also worked as a teacher at a military college.
From 1990 to 1993, he was an officer in the intelligence part of NATO forces in Southern Europe. After that, he was an assistant to the Army Commander. He also served as the main public information officer for the Turkish Armed Forces.
From 1997 to 1998, he was the Commander of the Turkish Brigade in Zenica, Bosnia. In 1998, he became a brigadier general. He then led the Internal Security Brigade for two years.
After becoming a major general in 2002, he led the Military Academy for three years. He then led the Army Command and Staff College for two years.
When he became a lieutenant general, he was the leader of army logistics. He also led NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Turkey and the 3rd Corps from 2009 to 2011.
In 2011, he was promoted to the rank of general. He then served as the deputy head of the Turkish army until 2013. From 2013 to 2015, he was the Commander of the Turkish Army.
On August 2, 2015, General Akar was chosen to be the 29th head of the Turkish army. He officially started this important job on August 18, 2015.
Chief of General Staff
On July 15, 2016, there was an attempted coup against the Turkish government. During this event, General Akar was taken hostage by those involved in the coup attempt.
Reports say that his captors tried to make him sign a declaration of martial law. When he refused, they tried to hurt him, but he did not give in. He was held at Akıncı Air Base in Ankara.
Pro-government forces rescued him in the early hours of July 16, 2016. After his release, he said that one of his captors offered to let him speak to Fethullah Gülen, who was accused of leading the coup.
In 2016, Akar led Operation Euphrates Shield. This was a Turkish military action in Syria. It was aimed at groups like ISIL and some Kurdish groups.
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Defense Minister
On July 9, 2018, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Akar as the Minister of National Defense. This was a historic moment for Turkey. It was the first time a civilian government appointed an active military officer to this role.
In July 2020, there were clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Akar stated that Turkey would support Azerbaijan against Armenia. He also visited a Turkish military base in Iraq during a Turkish operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK is seen as a terrorist group by Turkey.
Akar supports Turkey buying the Russian S-400 missile system. This is despite objections from Turkey's NATO allies. In November 2021, he spoke in the Turkish Parliament. He denied the existence of an independent Kurdistan in Turkey or Iraq.
On April 17, 2022, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock. This operation was against PKK militants. On June 17, 2022, Akar said he fully supported NATO's expansion. However, he was against Finland and Sweden joining at that time. He believed they supported terrorism.
Awards and Decorations
Hulusi Akar has received many awards for his service:
- Turkey – TAF Medal of Distinguished Service
- Turkey – TAF Medal of Distinguished Courage and Self-Sacrifice
- Turkey – TAF Medal of Honor
- Pakistan – Nishan-e-Imtiaz
- US – Legion of Merit
- South Korea – Order of National Security Merit of South Korea
- Azerbaijan – Distinguished Service in Military Cooperation Medal
- Kazakhstan – 20th Anniversary Medal of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan – Chief of Staff Distinguished Service Medal
Personal Life
Hulusi Akar is married to Şule Akar. They have two children together. Besides Turkish, he can also speak English and Italian.
See also
