Turkey’s Supreme Military Council has marked a historic moment by promoting Captain Gökçen Fırat to the rank of Rear Admiral, making her the first woman to attain this rank in the Turkish Navy’s history.
On hearing about her promotion, Fırat expressed, “Being promoted to the admiralship is one of the highest level of achievements for any navy officer to reach in their career. I am very glad to reach this objective.”
Currently stationed with the NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) in the UK, Fırat holds the position of Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations. Her role is pivotal to the maritime operations and exercises across the Alliance, encompassing the involvement of four NATO standing naval forces in significant multinational ventures.
Fırat, born in Istanbul in 1977, started her naval journey in 1998. Her earliest roles saw her serve as an Underwater Weapons Officer and Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer aboard the Turkish frigate TCG Yavuz. Her subsequent assignment to Training Boat E-2 marked a milestone as she became the first female commanding officer in the Turkish Navy.
Her decorated service portfolio includes stints at the Turkish Combat Fleet HQ, Turkish Naval Forces HQ, Turkish General Staff HQ, and Ministry of Defence HQ. Fırat’s academic accomplishments are equally commendable, with her having graduated from the Naval Staff College in 2018 followed by the Joint Staff and Command College in 2019.
Having earlier served in NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre in Norway, she transitioned to MARCOM in 2022. Reflecting on her journey, Captain Fırat said, “Each task and post has been a good opportunity to increase my experience and develop my vision for the future. Being assigned as the first female Commanding Officer of a ship in the Turkish Navy also encouraged me and sharpened my vision to reach my goals.”
Women’s participation in the Turkish Armed Forces dates back several decades. Female cadets were first inducted into the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies in 1955, and by 1959, the Naval Academy saw its first batch of female graduates.
With optimism for the future, Fırat added, “I believe that the number of female admirals and generals will increase to serve our nation and forces with distinguished honour, and the highest levels of devotion and loyalty.”
Very well done, good luck, and hopefully, this will see the number of females increase in their armed forces.
Totally agree must be a gutsy woman to have achieved the rank. Good for the Turkish Navy. I bet this was through merit not ratios.
Well done ma’am, congratulations.