Turkey’s Air and Missile Defense Acquisition Journey Continues

EDAM Discussion Paper Series 2013/13, October 2013, 17 p.

Nilsu Goren *

Nilsu Gören examines Turkey’s efforts to strengthen its balistic missile defenses. Nilsu argues that given the high costs, technical limitations, and political repercussions of air and missile defense systems, Turkey should choose to remain integrated into the NATO structure and push for a change in NATO policy to receive an assurance to cover entire Turkish territory by alternative area defense systems such as THAAD. Given the huge financial burden of these systems, consideration of how imminent the missile threats are to Turkey is also a crucial consideration in the procurement decision. Operating in a complex web of security and trade relations in the Middle East, investing in a massive, confrontational defense program would also be detrimental on Turkish cooperative engagement in the region.

* Graduate Fellow, Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM)

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