Aydoğan Babaoğlu

General Aydoğan Babaoğlu is the 27th and current Commander of the Turkish Air Force.

Aydoğan Babaoğlu was born in 1944 in Havza, Samsun, on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. He graduated from the Turkish Air Force Academy in 1964 and from the Flight School in 1966.

He is an avid golfer and is noted as the "Golfer General" for playing golf and ignoring attacks on Turkish soldiers by the terrorist organization PKK. Gen. Aydoğan Babaoğlu, a golf enthusiast, had golf courses constructed on more than nine air bases. Some of the military headquarters and military academies where golf courses were constructed are as follows: Ankara Akıncı Air Base, Bandırma 6th Main Air Base, Eskişehir 1st Main Air Base, Kayseri Erkilet Air Base, Balıkesir 9th Main Air Base, Çiğli Main Air Base, Konya 3rd Main Air Base, Malatya Erhaç Air Base, Diyarbakır 8th Main Air Base and the İstanbul Air Academy.

He served as a fighter pilot at the 5th Main Jet Base in Merzifon between 1966 and 1970 and at the 9th Main Jet Base in Balıkesir between 1970 and 1974. After his graduation from the Air War College in 1976, Babaoğlu has been assigned to the 4th Main Jet Base in Ankara, where he served in different positions including Squadron Commander. After his service as an instructor in the Air War College, Babaoğlu was assigned to the Plans and Policy Division as a branch chief in NATO's AIRSOUTH Headquarters in Naples, Italy, where he served from 1985 to 1988. After returning home, he was assigned to the post of Turkish General Staff's Plans and Operations Branch Chief and later the 4th Main Jet Base Commander of Operations.

Babaoğlu was promoted to Brigadier General in 1991. He was assigned as the Commander of the 6th Main Jet Base. Later, he assumed duty as the Chief of Plans and Programs Department of the Turkish Air Force Command in 1993. General Babaoğlu was promoted to the rank of Major General and was assigned as the Chief of Personnel Division of the Turkish Air Force Command in 1995. After serving two years in this post, General Babaoğlu assumed the duty of the Commander of the Turkish Air Force Academy between 1997 and 1999. In 1999 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and has been assigned as the Chief of Staff of the Turkish Air Force. Following 2001’s assignment schedule, he served as the Commander of the 2nd Air Force and later assumed duty as the Chief of General Plans and Policy in the Turkish General Staff headquarters in 2003. After serving in this position for two years, Babaoğlu was promoted to the rank of General on August 30, 2005.

Following his two-year service as the Commander of the War Colleges, General Babaoğlu assumed duty as the Commander of the Turkish Air Force with 2007’s assignment schedule.

General Babaoğlu is married to Mrs. Ayşe Dilek Babaoğlu and has two children.

See also

* Turkish Air Force

External links

* [http://www.hvkk.mil.tr/PageSub/Kurumumuz/Komutan/KomutanEng.aspx Biography of General Babaoğlu at the official website of Turkish Air Force]