Lt. Gen. Tevfik Algan, chief of staff of the Turkish Land Forces, has opted to retire rather than accept a reassignment for his dissenting vote against the expulsion of five lieutenants who chanted a secularist oath at their graduation in August, Turkish media reported.
In a statement released earlier this month, defense ministry sources said the disciplinary action had “nothing to do with the content of the oath” but was instead a response to what it described as an organized act of disobedience.
“These young officers were not punished for what they said, but for engaging in a pre-planned, collective act of indiscipline that disrupted absolute obedience and damaged the reputation of the Turkish Armed Forces,” the statement read.
The lieutenants, led by valedictorian Ebru Eroğlu, had recited a military oath, discontinued in 2022, that included a pledge to defend Turkey’s secular and democratic principles. Videos of the ceremony, which featured the graduates raising their swords while chanting in unison, spread widely on social media and sparked a political firestorm, with critics accusing the government of targeting officers loyal to the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
Although Algan chaired the High Disciplinary Board that ruled to expel the officers, he voted against the decision, arguing the punishment was unwarranted.
Military sources say Algan’s retirement may be connected to this disagreement. Reports indicate he was temporarily reassigned to the 3rd Army Command after his dissenting vote, a move analysts viewed as punitive.
Instead of accepting the reported reassignment, Algan submitted his retirement request on Wednesday, which the defense ministry promptly approved.
In a statement the ministry described the retirement as routine: “In the Turkish Armed Forces, retirement applications can be submitted in January/February and July/August, as per current regulations. The chief of staff of the Land Forces submitted his retirement request voluntarily on February 19, and it has been duly approved.”
While officially characterized as standard procedure, observers view Algan’s departure as symbolic — a quiet protest against what he considered excessive punishment of the young officers.
Algan, born in Konya in 1963, had a distinguished military career after graduating from the Turkish Military Academy in 1984. He served in various leadership roles, including commander of the 9th Corps and deputy head of intelligence at the General Staff, before becoming a lieutenant general in 2024.
The lieutenants’ case had already generated public debate, with critics arguing their expulsion showed intolerance toward expressions of loyalty to Turkey’s founding father Atatürk’s legacy, while others supported it as necessary enforcement of military discipline.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had previously condemned the lieutenants’ actions, calling them an act of disorder. “The military is no place for undisciplined behavior. We will ensure that those responsible face the consequences,” Erdoğan said in September.
The expulsions have been met with widespread criticism from opposition leaders. Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel called the ruling “a disgraceful decision” and accused the government of politicizing the military. İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu argued that the dismissals were an insult to Turkey’s military history, while former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the decision targeted “millions who believe in the republic.”