Turkey’s New Missiles of October: Defense Modernization or Political Statement?

Policy Brief (German Marshall Fund of the United States) March 12, 2015

Ahmet K. Han & Can Kasapoğlu *

Ankara is giving mixed signals regarding the award of an upcoming missile defense system. Will it be awarded to a defense contractor in a NATO ally country, as has traditionally been the case, or will it be awarded to a Chinese company? The authors argue that some Turkish decision-makers may not fully understand the ramifications of this decision on new and old alliances.

* Dr. Ahmet K. Han is an associate professor at Kadir Has University, Istanbul. He is also an adjunct faculty member with Turkish Armed Forces War College Institute of Strategic Studies, and serves as a member of the board of EDAM, a leading Turkish think-tank. Dr. Can Kasapoğlu holds a Ph.D. from the Strategic Researches Institute at the Turkish War College, and an MSci degree from the Defense Sciences Institute at the Turkish Military Academy.

Download full text (Format Pdf)