Turkish defense industry positioned as key pillar of NATO deterrence

Türkiye’s defense industry was highlighted as a key contributor to NATO’s deterrence, production, and interoperability goals during a panel held as part of the 36th NATO Summit of Leaders in Ankara. The panel, titled “Türkiye’s Defense Industry as a Building Block of NATO’s Defense Architecture,” was held at Ankara Palas as part of the “Allies in Ankara” event, organized in cooperation with the Communications Directorate, the Munich Security Conference, and SETA.

Industry leaders’ remarks

Roketsan CEO Murat İkinci said the NATO summit was important for shaping the alliance’s future defense and deterrence strategy, emphasizing that Türkiye’s defense industry stands out not only for its technological capabilities but also for its strong supply chain. He noted that the Turkish defense industry has more than 3,500 suppliers, while Roketsan works with over 2,000 companies to provide advanced defense solutions and exports to more than 50 countries. ASELSAN CEO Ahmet Akyol said NATO allies have made commitments to increase defense spending, but the main challenge is converting these budgets into concrete military capabilities as quickly as possible.

Strategic significance

Akyol said the war in Ukraine changed the strategic outlook in the defense industry, showing that technological excellence alone is no longer sufficient. Türkiye, he said, is among the countries that stand out in the new security environment with its production capacity, dynamic defense ecosystem, and broad industrial infrastructure. Akyol also underlined ASELSAN’s contribution to NATO through its work in allied countries. The panel reflects broader discussions at the Ankara summit, where defense industrial production and supply chain resilience have been central themes alongside defense spending commitments and support for Ukraine.