The suspensions were the first time the government removed officers from duty and came as another indication of the growing civilian authority over the military, which once shaped the country’s politics.

The three — two major generals and a rear admiral — are among nearly 200 retired and active duty officers who will go on trial Dec. 16 in an alleged 2003 plot to create chaos and trigger a military takeover. Some officers face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The military had appointed the three to positions normally held by higher-ranking officers, in line with a military court decision, despite the government’s opposition to their promotions, Hurriyet newspaper and other news reports said.

Maj. Gen. Halil Helvacioglu was suspended as the head of the paramilitary forces’ inspection unit, Maj. Gen. Gurbuz Kaya was in charge of the military’s mapping unit while Rear. Adm. Abdullah Gavremoglu was in charge of the navy appointments office, according to Hurriyet.

The military did not comment on the suspensions that are a marked change with an old practice in which the government rarely interfered with military appointments. The three immediately applied to a high military court for a reversal of the decision to suspend them, private NTV television reported.

The incident is the latest episode in a power struggle between the government and military which have been at odds since Erdogan’s party came to power in 2002. The military has long regarded itself as the guardian of Turkey’s secular system.

“Everything is being conducted according to the laws,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters. “The situation is the same as for civil servants who are dismissed by those who appoint them.” Prosecutors brought charges against the military officers after a newspaper, Taraf, published what it said were leaked copies of documents detailing their plans to create chaos and pave the way for a military takeover in an alleged conspiracy dubbed “Sledgehammer.” The military, which has overthrown three governments since 1960 and pressured an Islamic-led government to step down in 1997, has denied such a plot, saying documents used as evidence were from a military training seminar during which officers simulated a scenario of internal strife.

More than 400 people — including pro-secular academics, journalists, politicians and soldiers — are already on trial on separate charges of plotting to bring down the government. Critics say the cases are built on flimsy evidence and illegal wiretaps, and are designed to silence Erdogan’s pro-secular opponents.

241424 nov 10GMT