Erdoğan Spoke After the NATO Summit: Çelik Kubbe and New Military Missions

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a comprehensive press conference following the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, hosted by Turkey at the Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi. This historic summit, organized for the second time in Turkey after 22 years and for the first time in the capital Ankara, carries the excitement of having been successfully completed. Making important statements on many strategic issues ranging from localization initiatives in the defense industry to military missions, and from global crises to bilateral diplomatic contacts, Erdoğan clearly laid out his vision for the future of the alliance. During the discussions, deepening cooperation among allies and presenting a united front against global security threats came to the forefront. The summit proved Turkey's decisive role on a regional and global scale to the international community once again.

Restrictions and embargoes applied to the trade of defense industry products among allies constituted one of the most important agenda items of Erdoğan's press conference. Pointing out that obstacles in defense technologies have decreased but still continue, Erdoğan emphasized that these restrictions must be lifted immediately without any excuse. Stating that they ensured this issue was specifically included in the summit declaration, the President expressed that NATO should be an alliance of allies who add strength to each other, not of interdependent countries. During the Defense Industry Forum held as part of the summit, it was announced that the 'Ankara Strategy', aimed at developing closer collaborations with NATO's defense sector, was accepted by the allies. Furthermore, the necessity for the European Union's defense initiatives to be complementary to NATO and the importance of including non-EU allies like Turkey in the process were also discussed.

The new military missions and international duties Turkey will assume within NATO in the upcoming period were also shared in detail by Erdoğan. Stating that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are ahead of many alliance members in terms of military capabilities and defense spending, Erdoğan announced that the new duties will start as of 2026. In this context, it was stated that F-16 aircraft will be deployed in Estonia in August 2026 within the scope of the NATO air policing mission, and the command of the KFOR operation in Kosovo will be maintained by Turkey until the end of September 2026. Additionally, it was learned that Turkey will command the NATO Response Force (NRF) between 2028 and 2029. Reminding that Turkey currently commands NATO's second largest standing army and has ensured the security of the alliance's southeastern flank for decades, Erdoğan noted that his country has rightfully upheld this critical responsibility.

Responding to questions regarding air defense systems and domestic production capabilities, Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey is one of the rare allies capable of producing its own fighter jets, tanks, and ships. Noting that the UAVs and UCAVs produced by Baykar are in high demand globally and have received significant orders, Erdoğan explained Turkey's determination in air defense projects with the 'Çelik Kubbe' metaphor. Emphasizing that the Çelik Kubbe project is one of NATO's strongest strategic steps in the region, Erdoğan stated that Turkey is making great progress in this field day by day. Pointing out that while other countries possess different defense domes, Turkey has its own Çelik Kubbe. These statements revealed how advanced Turkey's vision of reducing foreign dependency in the defense industry and its goals of technological independence have become.

Also touching upon the details of the bilateral meeting held with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit, Erdoğan reported that the meeting was highly productive and that significant agreements were reached between the two countries regarding defense industry and economic partnerships. It was noted that developments occurred especially regarding critical defense technologies such as the F-35 processes and F-110 engines, and that Trump displayed a positive approach towards Turkey. Addressing regional issues as well, Erdoğan criticized the remarks of Greek Prime Minister Kiriakos Miçotakis regarding the Aegean Sea and the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with harsh words, evaluating the attitudes of different actors in achieving regional peace. Stating that leaders must take responsibility for resolving the issues in the Aegean, Erdoğan added that NATO must continue to act as an effective bridge in resolving global crises.