Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ANKARA1411
2008-08-07 15:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:
TURKEY'S NEXT DCHOD: GENERAL HASAN IGSIZ
how-toVZCZCXYZ0027 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHAK #1411 2201556 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 071556Z AUG 08 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7070 INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD IMMEDIATE 1301 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA/DSCA// RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU//TCH// IMMEDIATE RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 6609 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001411
SIPDIS
EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2018
TAGS: PREL PINS MARR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S NEXT DCHOD: GENERAL HASAN IGSIZ
REF: A. ANKARA 1391
B. ANKARA 1392
C. 07 ANKARA 2601
Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001411
SIPDIS
EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2018
TAGS: PREL PINS MARR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S NEXT DCHOD: GENERAL HASAN IGSIZ
REF: A. ANKARA 1391
B. ANKARA 1392
C. 07 ANKARA 2601
Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (C) Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) (ref a) named
General Hasan Igsiz (pronounced Ih-siz) as Turkey's next
Deputy Chief of Defense (DCHOD),succeeding GEN Ersin Saygun.
He is reportedly a protege of newly named CHOD Ilker Basbug
(ref b). As general officers, Igsiz and Basbug have held a
number of similar assignments. Both served as Turkey's
National Military Representative at SHAPE and at Jandarma
Command. Basbug himself was DCHOD from 2003 to 2005. Since
August 2006, Igsiz has served as the commander of the Second
Army, whose primary responsibility is to prosecute the war
against the PKK in the southeast, and was directly
subordinate to Basbug. Igsiz has kept a relatively low
profile in his military career, but is considered an
effective leader. He re-energized anti-PKK efforts and
managed the tense moments in fall 2007 when dozens of Turkish
soldiers and civilians were killed by PKK attacks,
culminating in the Daglica ambush (ref c) in which the PKK
killed twelve soldiers and captured eight. As Second Army
Commander, he almost certainly played a role in the execution
of the February 2008 operation in which Turkish land forces
crossed into Iraq to attack the PKK.
2. (C) Igsiz served as Land Forces Logistics Commander in
2006, and as the 5th Corps Commander from 2003 to 2005. He
has solid NATO experience, first as a planning officer in
International Military Headquarters Plans and Principles
Department from 1981 to 1984, and later as Turkey's NMR at
SHAPE from 1999 to 2001. Igsiz held a number of
personnel-related assignments, including as TGS chief of
personnel from 2001 to 2003, Land Forces Chief of Personnel
from 1997 to 1998, Land Forces Chief of Appointments
1993-1996, and as project officer and section chief in the
TGS personnel department responsible for flag officer
assignments from 1984 to 1991. Igsiz graduated from the US
Army Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1979. He is fluent
in English.
3. (C) As the DCHOD, Igsiz will be a key interlocutor on
military issues. We expect Igsiz, like his predecessor, to
lead the Turkish delegation for the annual High-Level Defense
Group (HLDG) discussions (next HLDG meeting is scheduled to
take place in January 2009 in Ankara). We believe it would
be useful to maintain the channels that Generals Cartwright,
Craddock and Petraeus have established with Igsiz'
predecessor to maintain close mil-to-mil dialogue, especially
on Iraq, and defuse any potentially contentious issues early
on. He will take up his new duties during the week of August
25. We anticipate Igsiz will have good working relations
with Basbug and, together, they will provide effective,
pragmatic, level-headed leadership at TGS over the next two
years.
4. (U) Igsiz was born in Istanbul in 1946 and is married to
Ayse Igsiz. They have two children.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey
WILSON
SIPDIS
EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2018
TAGS: PREL PINS MARR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S NEXT DCHOD: GENERAL HASAN IGSIZ
REF: A. ANKARA 1391
B. ANKARA 1392
C. 07 ANKARA 2601
Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (C) Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) (ref a) named
General Hasan Igsiz (pronounced Ih-siz) as Turkey's next
Deputy Chief of Defense (DCHOD),succeeding GEN Ersin Saygun.
He is reportedly a protege of newly named CHOD Ilker Basbug
(ref b). As general officers, Igsiz and Basbug have held a
number of similar assignments. Both served as Turkey's
National Military Representative at SHAPE and at Jandarma
Command. Basbug himself was DCHOD from 2003 to 2005. Since
August 2006, Igsiz has served as the commander of the Second
Army, whose primary responsibility is to prosecute the war
against the PKK in the southeast, and was directly
subordinate to Basbug. Igsiz has kept a relatively low
profile in his military career, but is considered an
effective leader. He re-energized anti-PKK efforts and
managed the tense moments in fall 2007 when dozens of Turkish
soldiers and civilians were killed by PKK attacks,
culminating in the Daglica ambush (ref c) in which the PKK
killed twelve soldiers and captured eight. As Second Army
Commander, he almost certainly played a role in the execution
of the February 2008 operation in which Turkish land forces
crossed into Iraq to attack the PKK.
2. (C) Igsiz served as Land Forces Logistics Commander in
2006, and as the 5th Corps Commander from 2003 to 2005. He
has solid NATO experience, first as a planning officer in
International Military Headquarters Plans and Principles
Department from 1981 to 1984, and later as Turkey's NMR at
SHAPE from 1999 to 2001. Igsiz held a number of
personnel-related assignments, including as TGS chief of
personnel from 2001 to 2003, Land Forces Chief of Personnel
from 1997 to 1998, Land Forces Chief of Appointments
1993-1996, and as project officer and section chief in the
TGS personnel department responsible for flag officer
assignments from 1984 to 1991. Igsiz graduated from the US
Army Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1979. He is fluent
in English.
3. (C) As the DCHOD, Igsiz will be a key interlocutor on
military issues. We expect Igsiz, like his predecessor, to
lead the Turkish delegation for the annual High-Level Defense
Group (HLDG) discussions (next HLDG meeting is scheduled to
take place in January 2009 in Ankara). We believe it would
be useful to maintain the channels that Generals Cartwright,
Craddock and Petraeus have established with Igsiz'
predecessor to maintain close mil-to-mil dialogue, especially
on Iraq, and defuse any potentially contentious issues early
on. He will take up his new duties during the week of August
25. We anticipate Igsiz will have good working relations
with Basbug and, together, they will provide effective,
pragmatic, level-headed leadership at TGS over the next two
years.
4. (U) Igsiz was born in Istanbul in 1946 and is married to
Ayse Igsiz. They have two children.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey
WILSON