Turkey’s exclusion from the F-35 program due to its ties with Russia has put the country at a crossroads. The Biden administration is now exploring ways to reintegrate Turkey into the program, with negotiations focusing on relocating Turkey’s S-400 inventory to a NATO base. However, concerns remain about the implications of such a move, as it could potentially enable Turkey to reverse engineer American technology and diverge from Western alliances.
The suggestion for Turkey to house the S-400’s on the American part of Incirlik airbase is viewed as insufficient for readmitting Turkey into the F-35 program. Instead, Ankara could explore alternatives like providing one S-400 battery for study and donating the rest to Ukraine. This would signal a commitment to NATO’s security interests and a departure from its alignment with Russia and other adversaries.
Ultimately, trust-building measures and a shift towards Euro-Atlantic values are essential for Turkey to regain its place in Western defense programs and alliances. Compliance with sanctions acts and ending support for adversarial entities are crucial steps towards rebuilding credibility with its allies.
Authors: Sinan Ciddi, Tyler Stapleton, and Endy Zemenides