For the first time in Turkey’s military history, a woman has reached the rank of general in the country’s Air Force.

The Turkish Supreme Military Council promoted Özlem Karapınar, 48, as the first Air Force general of the country, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday approved this decision. She is married and a mother of one child. Karapınar entered the officer academy in 1997 after graduating from Turgut University of Medical Sciences.

Previously, Gökçen Fırat, 49, had earned the title of the first female naval forces general of the Turkish Armed Forces in 2023.