Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has disassociated itself from the U.S. war against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled out cooperation with the United States in the war against ISIL in northern Iraq. They said Ankara feared that ISIL would execute […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey, in a purge of opponents of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, has dismissed its defense procurement chief. Officials said Erdogan ordered the firing of Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar. They said Bayar was dismissed in a decision recorded on March 27. Turkey’s Official Gazette confirmed the removal of Bayar, who […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has acknowledged massive wiretapping of its citizens. Officials said hundreds of thousands of Turks were under surveillance by the intelligence community. They said at least 250,000 people per year were targeted by wiretaps, including phone calls, e-mails and faxes. “These numbers have gotten out of hand,” Turkish Defense Minister […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey and the United States have been preparing a defense summit. Officials said U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel would arrive in Turkey and meet the leadership in late January. They said Hagel, deemed a supporter of Ankara, would seek to resolve a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, particularly Turkey’s […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has sent a huge amount of weapons to rebels in Syria. The United Nations has reported that Ankara has overseen the flow of more than 47 tons of arms to the Sunni revolt against Syrian President Bashar Assad. The UN said the weapons were shipped from Turkey to Syria […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has acknowledged that scores of pilots resigned from the Air Force in 2013. The Defense Ministry has confirmed reports of a massive resignation at the Air Force. Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said more than 100 pilots left the service in the space of a month in 2013. “In January-February, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey, fearing the prospect of intervention, has again reduced the influence of the military. Parliament has voted to redefine the duty of the military in Turkey. On July 13, the ruling Justice and Development Party rammed through a bill that would end any military intervention in politics. “The duty of […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Turkey and the United States have conducted a review of defense and military cooperation. The two countries discussed existing and new projects during a meeting in Washington on May 17 between Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Turkish counterpart, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz. Officials said the meeting was dominated by […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has been preparing its new main battle tank for serial production. Otokar, the prime contractor of Turkey’s Altay MBT, was testing two prototypes as part of an accelerated development project. The non-state-owned company intends to use the prototypes to test such capabilities as mobility and firepower over the next […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey, despite U.S. pressure, has remained cautious over the Joint Strike Fighter project. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has rebuffed U.S. appeals to submit a major order of the F-35 fighter-jet. They said the government would remain with the decision by Turkey’s Defense Industry Executive Board […]