Before being promoted to Brigadier General in 1989, he had completed his education at the United Kingdom Army Staff College and NATO Defense College. In this rank, he served as the Chief of Logistics and Infrastructure Department at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Mons-Belgium and as the Commander of the 1st Armored Brigade in Istanbul. He was promoted to Major General in 1993. As Major General, he served as the Deputy Commander in Gendarmerie Security Command in Diyarbakır-Turkey and then as the Turkish National Military Representative (NMR) at SHAPE and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1996. In this rank, he served as the Commander of 2nd Corps and as the Deputy of the Secretary General of the National Security Council of the Republic of Turkey, respectively.