kurmay

Kurmay is a Turkish term used to denote a military staff officer. The word literally translates to “staff,” and it is used to describe officers who perform planning, coordination, and advisory roles at various levels of the Turkish Armed Forces, rather than serving as frontline commanders. In practice, kurmay subayları (staff officers) work within the General Staff (Genelkurmay Başkanlığı) and in staff sections of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, including operations, intelligence, logistics, and plans.

The kurmay concept has historical roots in both the Ottoman and modern Turkish armed forces. It constitutes a formal career path for officers selected for staff duties, who typically undergo specialized education and assignments to develop expertise in planning, assessment, and staff work. The term remains widely used today to distinguish personnel focused on organizational and strategic tasks from those in line command roles.

Within the Turkish military, Genelkurmay refers to the General Staff as an organizational body, and the Chief of the General Staff (Genelkurmay Başkanı) has traditionally headed the armed forces’ staff. In contemporary usage, kurmay officers may serve on joint or service-level staffs and can advance to senior ranks, including high general or flag officer levels, after accumulating extensive staff experience. The kurmay role is central to strategic planning, operations, and inter-service coordination in the Turkish defense framework.