Following the Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSIK) Meeting held at the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) premises, Prime Minister Prof. Ahmet Davutoğlu made a press meeting with the participation of Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar, Minister of National Defense Mr İsmet Yılmaz, Deputy Minister Mr. Şuay Alpay and Undersecretary for Defense Industries Prof. İsmail Demir and shared, the issues that had been discussed throughout the meeting with the public.  Prof. Davutoğlu said, “This Defense Industry Executive Meeting was of special importance due to the increase of security risks around Turkey and the new dimension of the terrorist threats within the country. We have taken many projects into consideration to this end and reached certain decisions. I would like to share them in headlines with you and therefore with the public.  First of all, within the scope of the changing security risks and threat definitions, we decided to pave the way for a new strategic base for the structuring of the Defense Industry. Our Defense Industry Executive Committee will be completing its preparations and we are planning to gather the Defense Industry Coordination Board in either April or May this year, then within the perspective we adopt here, we will be gradually holding meetings for assessing the issue with the experts. We are also planning to organize a defense industry council composed of all the shareholders of the sector towards the end of this year. In order to nationalize Turkey’s defense industry and for reducing its foreign dependency, we will go through a structuring in which all measures involving all the shareholders are adopted. Within this scope, by developing a new political and military concept, we will be examining the measures to be adopted through a wide perspective for the protection and survival of our Republic and our state, for our nation’s peace and security in the upcoming period as well as within the future decades. We will be following a two-way path to this end. Taking the urgent requirements into consideration, we will be maintaining the procurements within the procurement capabilities while we focus on domestic production to increase the rate of indigenousness of the defense industry in the medium and long run. Therefore, as we fulfill the urgent requirements, we will also take the development of the domestic defense industry into consideration in the medium and long term.”

Launch of Program Valued at $ 5.9 Billion