Presidential Guard Regiment (Turkey)

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Presidential Guard Regiment
Cumhurbaşkanlığı Muhafız Alayı
Presidential Guard Regiment Turkey 2013 3.JPG
Active18 July 1920 
(101 years, 6 months)
Country Turkey
Branch Turkish Land Forces
TypeRegiment
RolePresidential protection, honor guard
Size2,500
Garrison/HQÇankaya Köşkü
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Muhsin Kutsi Barış

Presidential Guard Regiment (Turkish: Cumhurbaşkanlığı Muhafız Alayı) was a military unit stationed in Çankaya Köşkü, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Turkey (office abolished in 2018) and until 2014 the official residence of the President of Turkey. The Guard Regiment was the only unit in the Land Forces of Turkish Armed Forces to wear turquoise and white ceremonial uniforms.

History[]

The Turkish Presidential Guard Regiment was established in July 1920 under President Atatürk. Its original role was to provide security in Ankara, in what was then a small and isolated city. As a battalion sized unit it saw active service during the war with Greece.

In 1927 the Guard Battalion, as it was then known, was expanded to 2,500 men and renamed as the Presidential Guards Regiment. During World War II the unit was expanded again and restructured as a brigade and then a division. In 1948 it was reduced to battalion strength and in 1953 merged with the separate Parliamentary Guard Battalion, under its final title of Presidential Guard Regiment.

Primarily visible as a ceremonial and honor guard unit, the regiment included a horse mounted escort. Under President Erdoğan during 2015 the Guard provided small detachments in various historic Ottoman costumes at public functions.[1]

Following the abortive coup attempt of 2016, almost 300 members of this unit were arrested. Shortly thereafter, the Turkish government announced that the entire Presidential Guard Regiment was to be disbanded.[2][3] Though plans for full disbandment were subsequently abandoned, the Presidential Guard was reorganised and its ceremonial responsibility for the protection of the presidential palace was handed over to a special police operations unit.[4]

Commanders[]

# Name Term start Term end
1 Lieutenant Colonel Topal Osman 1920 1923
2 Colonel İsmail Hakkı Bey 1920 1940
3 Infantry Major Hüsnü Dumlu 1940 1942
4 Infantry Major Necdet Ergezen 1942 1943
5 Infantry Major Daniş Karabelen 1943 1948
6 Infantry Lieutenant Colonel Gani Güvener 1948 1950
7 Staff Major Nüzhet Bulca 1950 1953
8 Staff Colonel Bahattin Ertürk 1953 1955
9 Staff Colonel Refik Tulga 1955 1956
10 Staff Colonel Bahattin Ertürk 1956 1959
11 Staff Colonel Osman Köksal 1959 1961
12 Staff Colonel Şükrü İlkin 1961 1962
13 Staff Colonel Cihat Alpan 1962 1962
14 Staff Colonel İsmail Hakkı Bayındır 1962 1966
15 Staff Colonel Dündar Baykal 1966 1969
16 Colonel Hadi Öztekin 1969 1971
17 Staff Colonel Yılmaz Tokatlı 1971 1973
18 Staff Colonel Hüseyin Topa 1973 1974
19 Colonel Abdullah Erkun 1974 1976
20 Staff Colonel Hasan Sağlam 1976 1977
21 Colonel Rasim Burakan 1977 1981
22 Staff Colonel Çevik Bir 1981 1983
23 Staff Colonel Halit Edip Başer 1983 1986
24 Staff Colonel Yaşar Büyükanıt 1986 1988
25 Staff Colonel Ersin Yılmaz 1988 1990
26 Staff Colonel Yaşar Karagöz 1990 1991
27 Staff Colonel Hasan Iğsız 1991 1993
28 Staff Colonel Aslan Güner 1993 1994
29 Staff Colonel Nusret Taşdeler 1994 1996
30 Staff Colonel Kerim Şahin 1996 1997
31 Staff Colonel Cihangir Akşit 1997 1999
32 Staff Colonel Tayyar Elmas 1999 2000
33 Staff Colonel Abdullah Recep 2000 2001
34 Staff Colonel Kamil Başoğlu 2001 2002
35 Staff Colonel Ferit Güler 2002 2004
36 Staff Colonel Hamza Koçyiğit 2004 2006
37 Staff Colonel Burhanettin Aktı 2006 2008
38 Staff Colonel Muharrem Metin Özbek 2008 2010
39 Staff Colonel Şener Topuç 2010 2012
40 Staff Colonel İsmail Güneşer 2012 2013
41 Staff Colonel Muhammet Tanju Poshor 2013 2015
42 Staff Colonel Muhsin Kutsi Barış 2015 2016

References[]

  1. ^ "Turkey - Presidential Guard Regiment (Cumhurbaskanligi Muhafiz Alayi)".
  2. ^ "Turkey failed coup: Presidential guard to be disbanded". BBC. 23 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Turkey to disband presidential guard regiment: Yildirim | TRT World".
  4. ^ "Erdoğan, Nazarbayev'i böyle karşıladı". 8 May 2016.

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