Turkey supports NATO’s move to raise its defence spending target to 5% of GDP by 2035 and is already spending above the earlier 2% threshold, a source from the Turkish defence ministry said on Thursday, adding that strengthening national air defence systems would be a top priority.
NATO allies agreed on Wednesday to raise their collective spending goal to 5% of gross domestic product over the next decade, citing the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity at a briefing in Ankara, said Turkey was already “above the 2% criterion under the Defence Spending Pledge”, adding that with NATO’s second-largest army Turkey is among the top five contributors to NATO’s operations and missions.
The source also said that Turkey had fulfilled all its NATO capability targets and continued to invest in defence industry development and research. It plans to prioritise investments on its national “Steel Dome” project to expand across the country a layered air defence network.
“We are investing in air defence systems, hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missile capabilities, unmanned land, sea and air systems, as well as next-generation aircraft carriers, frigates, and tanks,” the source said.
Multi-Layered Air Defence
Speaking to reporters on his flight from the NATO summit in The Hague, President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey needed to establish a multi-layered bundle of systems for its air defence.
“It is very important for us to have missiles at various altitudes, and for these to work in harmony like the organs on a body,” he was quoted as saying by his office on Thursday, adding that the S-400 missile defence systems that Ankara acquired from Russia in 2020 were not enough.
The United States imposed sanctions on Turkey, an ally, for its acquisition of the S-400s. Ankara has called the move unjust and repeatedly called for the sanctions to be lifted.
Turkey has long said it is working to build up its defences, including long-range missiles, although officials and analysts say its “Steel Dome” project – similar to Israel’s “Iron Dome” -is years away.
“We have brought our country to a certain point, but we are not stopping here. We must increase our missile capabilities… We are realising the system of systems, which will combine air defence systems at different altitudes, our radars, electronic combat systems,” Erdogan added.
The new NATO target includes at least 3.5% of GDP for core defence spending, with the remainder to be spent on security-related infrastructure to improve civil preparedness and resilience.
(With inputs from Reuters)
