Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Germany to rethink its security policy: Berlin has been trying to support Ukraine while strengthening its own defense capabilities.
“The war in Ukraine has shown that NATO has insufficient production. Since the start of the war, European countries in particular have been trying to increase their manufacturing capacity,” Turkish defense analyst Caglar Kurc said.
To meet that demand, Germany is searching for new partners and sees one in NATO ally Turkey. Defense was a central topic when Friedrich Merz met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late October. Erdogan said Turkey would continue close cooperation with Germany. “We would be delighted if our two defense industries could cooperate with each other,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Ankara. “You could almost ask: Who else would we work with on this?”
A senior official at the German Armed Forces Procurement Office in Koblenz, speaking anonymously, said Germany’s network is shrinking amid difficult geopolitics. “It is clear to all of us that NATO must assume a completely different role in the geopolitical arena. In light of how our North Atlantic relations are developing and how the situation in Ukraine or even the situation with China is developing, the world suddenly seems relatively small,” he told DW.
Turkey is “at least a strong NATO partner that is not in a bad position,” the official added, noting the two sides can learn from each other. After the US, Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO.
Turkey’s defense sector has boomed. In 2022, four Turkish companies — Baykar, Aselsan, TAI and Roketsan — joined SIPRI’s list of the 100 largest arms companies for the first time, and the Turkish industry’s reputation is improving in Germany. “Turkey’s new booming sector,” read a headline on the German news website tagesschau.de.
Benedikt Meng, a German defense expert with long experience in the arms industry, said Turkey could be both a cooperation partner and a market for German and European arms firms. “As Turkey is also one of NATO’s largest partners and a key player in the Middle East and the Caucasus, deeper defense and industrial policy relations are definitely advantageous in terms of common security interests,” he said.
Cooperation deals already exist. From 2027, Turkish company Repkon will produce 155 mm artillery ammunition in Germany — the NATO standard used in howitzers, including those firing into Ukraine. Turkish media called this a “technology transfer.” Kurc called that an exaggeration but said it had symbolic value. “Turkey’s production capacity, its willingness to cooperate, and the quality of its companies are also an important resource to develop European defense,” he said. “It would be a mistake for Europe to leave Turkey out of the picture.”
Relations were tense in past years — for example over German deployment of tanks in northern Syria — and in 2017 Germany moved Tornado jets and a tanker aircraft from Incirlik to Jordan. Today, Turkey is again considered a partner and criticism of human rights violations has been softened. The Bundeswehr official acknowledged the dilemma: “Of course, Turkey must initiate a process of democratization. But let’s be honest: what options do we have at the end of the day? We’re not going to say to the US, ‘We’re no longer going to buy your weapons systems because you’re deporting people.'”
Efforts continue to keep NATO ties to Turkey, despite concerns about its authoritarian turn and good relations with China and Russia.
Turkey’s affordable, effective drones have raised its international profile. They played a decisive role in the Nagorno-Karabakh war and are used in Ukraine; Poland and Romania have already purchased them. In June, Baykar and Italy’s Leonardo created a joint venture. The Bundeswehr official suggested Germany should “definitely take a look at the Turkish drones,” noting Turkey is advanced in this area and could be a valuable partner for market analysis and cooperation. Meng added that German technology, such as sensors, is already used in Baykar’s TB2 drones.
Kurc argued international partners would benefit: “Turkey’s increasing production capacities also strengthen NATO. One example is armed drones: While Europe is still implementing the Eurodrone project, Turkey already has two comparable systems. If Europe makes use of these capabilities, it will strengthen its defense.”
Turkey is also seeking deeper involvement in Europe’s armament strategy. In October, the European Commission confirmed it had received Turkey’s application to participate in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, which aims to bolster the defense industry with loans up to €150 billion; the Commission said the application is under review.
This article was originally published in German.
