Turkish defence chief: Türkiye ready to drive NATO’s industrial transformation

Türkiye is ready to become one of the driving forces behind the industrial transformation NATO needs, the head of the country's Defence Industries Secretariat said Tuesday. Speaking at the opening of the NATO Defence Industry Forum held in Ankara as part of this week’s NATO Summit, Haluk Görgün said the forum is taking place at a critical time for the alliance’s defence architecture. “The Turkish defence industry is ready to be one of the driving forces behind the industrial transformation that NATO requires,” Görgün said. He said serious upheavals, wars, and security challenges across nearly every region of the world over the past three years have reshaped the global defence environment. “What is certain is that we have very little time, that we must strengthen our industrial capacity, and that no single country can shoulder this burden alone,” he said.

Forum significance and Turkish capabilities

Görgün said the forum was the “centrepiece” of this year’s summit, reflecting a growing understanding of the defence industry’s importance for the future of NATO allies. He said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s decision to make defence industrial capacity a priority gave the forum special significance. “Another factor that makes this forum truly unique is that it is being held in Türkiye,” he added, stressing that under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye has demonstrated unprecedented growth in the defence industry. Görgün said the Turkish defence industry offers highly mature solutions in key areas on NATO’s agenda, including armed unmanned aerial vehicles, deep strike, space technologies, air defence, and countering drone threats. “In fact, NATO forces are already successfully using our products in the field,” he said.

International partnerships

He pointed to cooperation on the HÜRJET jet trainer with Spain, electronic warfare and border security partnerships in Poland, and efforts to strengthen the land and naval inventories of Romania, Hungary, and Estonia. Görgün also cited work to enhance the transatlantic resilience of the Bayraktar TB2 fleet deployed in Poland. “The same UAVs gave Ukrainians psychological superiority on the battlefield” from the first days of the war in 2022, he said. He added that Ankara views such collaborations from a strategic perspective and hopes the forum will support NATO’s progress. Görgün invited participants to a reception at Turkish Aerospace Industries’ facilities, which he described as “a centre of excellence in aviation and space.”