GENERAL BEKİR KALYONCU

            General Bekir KALYONCU was born in Istanbul in 1950. He graduated from the Military Academy in 1972 and from the Signal Corps School in 1973.  

            Having served as Platoon Commander, Property Officer and Supply Officer in various units under the Army until 1979, General KALYONCU graduated from the Army War College in 1981.  

            During his military career as a staff officer, he served as the Student Company Commander at the Military Academy, as an Academic at the Army War College, as the Chief of the Operations and Training Branch at the 9^th Infantry Division, as an Academic at the Army War College following the education at the US Army Command and Staff College, as a headquarters officer at the Strategy Planning Branch at the Plans and Policy Division in Belgium / Brussels International Military Staff (IMS), as a Planning Officer and the Chief of the Planning and Operations Branch at the Operations Division of the 3^rd Army, as the Chief of the International Strategy Branch at the Strategy and Force Planning Department of the General Staff and as the Student Regiment Commander at the Military Academy.

            Having graduated from the Royal Defense Research College in the United Kingdom / London, General KALYONCU was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1997 and served as the Electronic Systems Commander of the General Staff and as the Chief of the Plans and Operations Department in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium / Mons respectively and then he was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2001.

            During his career as a Major General, he served as the Chief of the Plans and Operations Department of the General Staff and as the Commander of the Communications, Electronics and Information Systems School and Training Center until he became a Lieutenant General in 2005.

            As a Lieutenant General, he served as the Chief of the Operations Division and as the Commander of the 7^th Corps.

            Having been promoted as full general in 2009, Bekir KALYONCU served as the Chief of Staff of the Army before being appointed as the Gendarmerie General Commander on 04 August 2011.

            General KALYONCU has been bestowed with the TAF Distinguished Service Medal, the 70^th  Foundational Anniversary Medal of the Kyrgyzstan interior  Troops, the Distinguished Gendarmerie Medal of Jordan and the Portuguese Republican National Guard Merit. He has one child.