Türkiye intel chief stresses equal partnership for NATO

National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalin said on Tuesday that equal partnership and complementarity are critical for NATO as the alliance confronts hybrid security threats and global uncertainty, speaking at the "Allies in Ankara" program held at Ankara Palas during the 36th NATO summit.

Evolving security landscape

Kalin stated that security can no longer be defined solely as a military concept. "Traditional definitions such as nations, borders and states have become hybrid and multidimensional," he said, adding that this transformation requires a fundamental reassessment of state structures and security alliances.

He noted that the world currently faces uncertainty, strategic competition, polarization and fragmentation simultaneously. Security threats and identities have evolved into hybrid forms that demand new analytical frameworks beyond conventional geopolitical categories, he told participants at the event organized by Türkiye's Communications Directorate, the Munich Security Conference and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research.

Collective capabilities

Kalin stressed that strategic resilience depends on capacity sharing among members. "No member country can possess all the capabilities in the world, so sharing is important. Complementarity is an important element of the alliance," he said, emphasizing that deterrence requires sufficient depth to prevent threats before they emerge.

He underlined that NATO's collective security concept rests on the principle that "none of us are safe unless everyone is safe." The text requires all members to respond when one faces attack, but this commitment has not always been implemented consistently in recent decades, he noted.

Rejection of 'southern flank' label

Kalin rejected descriptions of Türkiye as NATO's "southern flank," calling the label geographically accurate yet politically insufficient. "Do we call the United Kingdom NATO's northern flank country? No, we do not. It is incomprehensible that Türkiye is constantly defined as NATO's southern flank country," he said.

He emphasized that Ankara does not accept hierarchies among allies or center-periphery relationships beyond NATO's Brussels headquarters. Türkiye holds a strong position measured by its second-largest army, defense industrial capacity and engagement across the Middle East, Central Asia, the Black Sea and Africa, he added.

The two-day Ankara summit began Tuesday with leaders from NATO's 32 member states and partners including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The gathering is expected to address the "NATO 3.0" vision, increased defense spending commitments and expanded industrial cooperation among allies, according to security sources.