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PROBLEMATIC APPROACH TO HERON UAVS
by Lale Kemal
Sunday's Zaman
Sept 12 2011
Turkey
Turkish dependence on critical foreign defense technology, mainly
manufactured in the United States and Israel, is not new.
Though Turkey in 2004 initiated a policy to reduce dependence on
foreign technologies, it will take a long period of time for this
NATO member country to domestically produce certain technology that
will allow it to operate its systems independently, without being
affected by strained ties with third parties.
Ankara has long been dependant on US military technology but faced
embargoes imposed by the US Congress as a result of Turkey's poor
human rights record as well as its strained ties with both Greece
and Armenia. Those strained ties have been used by strong Greek and
Armenian lobbies to force the US Congress to adopt negative policy
measures towards Turkey.
In order to bypass the US Congress, Turkey and Israel back in
1996 forged ties and started military cooperation with the US
administration's consent. Since then, Turkey and Israel have
engaged in close cooperation in the development of defense technology.
But this relationship has always benefitted Israel more than Turkey
since the country has not sought, in a parallel move, to strengthen
its defense industry base by developing its own military technology.
Therefore, Turkey's dependence on critical foreign military
technology shifted from the US to Israel.
In addition, Turkish contracts awarded to Israel have been mired in
controversy due to allegations of corruption as well as claims that
the financial costs of the contracts with Israel exceeded the actual
worth of the projects. But the media making such allegations have
been silenced by the military.
When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week accused
Israel of failing to meet its obligations with regard to defense deals,
saying it had not returned six Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
Heron unmanned aerial vehicles that were in Israel for maintenance,
Turkey's dependence resurfaced.
Once close military partners, Turkish-Israeli ties have further
deteriorated following the release of a United Nations report two
weeks ago on the killing of nine Turks (one of them Turkish-American)
during an Israeli raid on a flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded
Gaza Strip in May 2010. The UN report accused Israel of using excessive
force yet describes Israel's blockade of Gaza as legitimate.
Turkey said it does not recognize the report.
Turkey announced on Sept. 2 that it was expelling Israel's
ambassador and other senior diplomats while freezing defense industry
trade with this country. Hinting at creating a possible military
confrontation with Israel, Erdogan said last week that the Turkish
navy will increase its presence in and surveillance of the eastern
Mediterranean.
Turkey purchased 10 Heron UAVs, totaling some $183 million, with
deliveries in 2010.
"Israelis are not loyal to agreements with Turkey's defense
industry," Erdogan said. "There might be problems, you
may not be speaking to each other, but you have to fulfill your
responsibility under international agreements."
The Heron incident and the complaints made by Erdogan reminded us
once again that dependence on third parties for critical technology
deeply affects the dependant country's room for maneuvering in
advancing its policy goals.
UAVs are important in Turkey's currently intensified fight against
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But UAVs alone cannot
be the determining factor in the application of military means in the
fight against the PKK as it needs an integrated military and political
strategy. Needless to say, this is another topic that should be dealt
with separately.
The underlying problem concerning the latest debate over Turkish
accusations that Israel did not return some UAVs sent back to Israel
for maintenance in a timely manner has been the persistent Turkish
failure to learn its lesson from past mistakes over the negative
repercussions of being heavily dependant on foreign military as well
as civilian technology.
A recent Turkish trial of naval and civilian bureaucrat suspects on
charges of selling military secrets abroad reminded us of another
aspect of the Turkish handling of its defense industry sector. On
the one hand Turkey has been lagging far behind many countries in the
development of critical arms technology despite the fact that it has
still been earmarking large amounts of resources for military expenses,
including arms purchases. On the other hand the absence of strict
civilian control over Turkish arms procurement procedures makes the
covert domestic development of arms vulnerable to leaks. The suspects
are accused of selling, or being on the verge of selling, sensitive
information on a large number of security projects to unspecified
foreign intelligence services.
Why don't the nation's political parties and Parliament have
anything to say in regard to this appalling situation arising from
Turkey's dependency on foreign military technology? Why does the
government not take action?
Not a single word has been uttered by the opposition, either, in the
face of the alleged selling of Turkish secret projects abroad. The
indifference of elected politicians to these grave developments is
not acceptable.
by Lale Kemal
Sunday's Zaman
Sept 12 2011
Turkey
Turkish dependence on critical foreign defense technology, mainly
manufactured in the United States and Israel, is not new.
Though Turkey in 2004 initiated a policy to reduce dependence on
foreign technologies, it will take a long period of time for this
NATO member country to domestically produce certain technology that
will allow it to operate its systems independently, without being
affected by strained ties with third parties.
Ankara has long been dependant on US military technology but faced
embargoes imposed by the US Congress as a result of Turkey's poor
human rights record as well as its strained ties with both Greece
and Armenia. Those strained ties have been used by strong Greek and
Armenian lobbies to force the US Congress to adopt negative policy
measures towards Turkey.
In order to bypass the US Congress, Turkey and Israel back in
1996 forged ties and started military cooperation with the US
administration's consent. Since then, Turkey and Israel have
engaged in close cooperation in the development of defense technology.
But this relationship has always benefitted Israel more than Turkey
since the country has not sought, in a parallel move, to strengthen
its defense industry base by developing its own military technology.
Therefore, Turkey's dependence on critical foreign military
technology shifted from the US to Israel.
In addition, Turkish contracts awarded to Israel have been mired in
controversy due to allegations of corruption as well as claims that
the financial costs of the contracts with Israel exceeded the actual
worth of the projects. But the media making such allegations have
been silenced by the military.
When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week accused
Israel of failing to meet its obligations with regard to defense deals,
saying it had not returned six Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
Heron unmanned aerial vehicles that were in Israel for maintenance,
Turkey's dependence resurfaced.
Once close military partners, Turkish-Israeli ties have further
deteriorated following the release of a United Nations report two
weeks ago on the killing of nine Turks (one of them Turkish-American)
during an Israeli raid on a flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded
Gaza Strip in May 2010. The UN report accused Israel of using excessive
force yet describes Israel's blockade of Gaza as legitimate.
Turkey said it does not recognize the report.
Turkey announced on Sept. 2 that it was expelling Israel's
ambassador and other senior diplomats while freezing defense industry
trade with this country. Hinting at creating a possible military
confrontation with Israel, Erdogan said last week that the Turkish
navy will increase its presence in and surveillance of the eastern
Mediterranean.
Turkey purchased 10 Heron UAVs, totaling some $183 million, with
deliveries in 2010.
"Israelis are not loyal to agreements with Turkey's defense
industry," Erdogan said. "There might be problems, you
may not be speaking to each other, but you have to fulfill your
responsibility under international agreements."
The Heron incident and the complaints made by Erdogan reminded us
once again that dependence on third parties for critical technology
deeply affects the dependant country's room for maneuvering in
advancing its policy goals.
UAVs are important in Turkey's currently intensified fight against
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But UAVs alone cannot
be the determining factor in the application of military means in the
fight against the PKK as it needs an integrated military and political
strategy. Needless to say, this is another topic that should be dealt
with separately.
The underlying problem concerning the latest debate over Turkish
accusations that Israel did not return some UAVs sent back to Israel
for maintenance in a timely manner has been the persistent Turkish
failure to learn its lesson from past mistakes over the negative
repercussions of being heavily dependant on foreign military as well
as civilian technology.
A recent Turkish trial of naval and civilian bureaucrat suspects on
charges of selling military secrets abroad reminded us of another
aspect of the Turkish handling of its defense industry sector. On
the one hand Turkey has been lagging far behind many countries in the
development of critical arms technology despite the fact that it has
still been earmarking large amounts of resources for military expenses,
including arms purchases. On the other hand the absence of strict
civilian control over Turkish arms procurement procedures makes the
covert domestic development of arms vulnerable to leaks. The suspects
are accused of selling, or being on the verge of selling, sensitive
information on a large number of security projects to unspecified
foreign intelligence services.
Why don't the nation's political parties and Parliament have
anything to say in regard to this appalling situation arising from
Turkey's dependency on foreign military technology? Why does the
government not take action?
Not a single word has been uttered by the opposition, either, in the
face of the alleged selling of Turkish secret projects abroad. The
indifference of elected politicians to these grave developments is
not acceptable.