Our major goal, as the Industrialization Department, is to develop necessary policies in order to strengthen our local defence industry and meet the needs of Turkish Armed Forces with local means in maximum. While doing this, we should undoubtedly take into consideration the capabilities other sectors in Turkey. New technologies emerged in automotive, telecommunication and energy sectors have effects on the defence sector directly or indirectly. The areas such as fuel technologies, engine technologies, communication, new materials/products are amongst the mutual interest areas of many sectors. For example, the developments arisen in the telecommunication sector also have a direct impact on the needs of military communication. Similarly, the technologies developed in the defence sector are used in other areas and find commercialization opportunity. As all known, the technologies in the defence sector are ultrasensitive and high cost technologies. Therefore all issues mentioned here force us to closely follow the developments arisen in other sectors on one hand, and to be more careful in using our country’s resources effectively on the other hand. Within this framework, we are pleased to see the increasing interest of the companies performing activities in the neighboring sectors to the defence industry. We believe that the involvement of companies producing with high technology and having sound capital structure in defence sector would have positive contributions in the long term both for the development of the sector and the country. Likewise, we consider that the usage of new technologies arisen in the defence sector in civilian areas is indispensable in terms of efficient use of resources and our country’s development. As long as we achieve these, we would be establishing an “industry ecosystem” that feeds itself and produces its own economy. We, as the Industrialization Department, take such issues into consideration both in our Industrial Participation / Offset procedures and in our strategies aiming to guide the sector.

On this opportunity, I wish IDEF 2015 will be a successful fair that opens up significant opportunities for our defence industry.