Defense/Security cooperation

Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland-2026 (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Newly released data shows Ankara’s military spending hit $30 billion, while Saudi Arabia remained the region’s top spender and Israel’s outlays declined in 2025.

The US Capitol building is shown on April 20, 2026, in Washington.

Analysis

Turning point on Israel? Democrats’ Senate vote signals shift driven by Iran, Gaza wars

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he wants to wean Israel off Washington's $3.8 billion in annual military funding within the decade. At least one Democratic contender for 2028 agrees.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

As US President Trump makes contradictory statements regarding his intentions toward Iran and the ongoing negotiations, Israel is preparing for the possibility of resuming military operations.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

MBS hosts Sudan's Burhan in Jeddah as $1.5B Saudi-backed arms deal stalls

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Jeddah, on April 20, 2026.

Analysis

Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands during the press conference following their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on April 29, 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Why Netanyahu caved to Trump on Lebanon and what it means for Israel

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

CENTCOM chief visits Israel, Bahrain amid Iran ceasefire, blockade

CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper meets with IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in Israel, March 31, 2026.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar - RC11938EDE40

Pentagon nixes Turkish offer to address S-400 fears

The Pentagon will not consider a Turkish proposal to create a bilateral working group to temper US fears over Ankara’s looming acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

Retired four-star Army General John Abizaid testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1BE3EFCA20

Intel: How the US is filling diplomatic gap with picks for Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine greet supporters in Ankara, Turkey April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC186E18F620

Local election defeat bodes more foreign woes for Erdogan

The irreparable setback Turkey’s president suffered in the March 31 municipal polls, coupled with the country’s economic crisis, leaves him in a weaker position vis-a-vis Washington, Moscow and the European Union.

U.S. airmen walk next to a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft, as it is moved, on the eve of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol - RC15E3E8E180

Pentagon holds out hope of salvaging military sales to Turkey

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said today that he expects the Pentagon to deliver the Patriot air defense system to Turkey even as Ankara eyes a fall installation date for the Russian S-400.

Kurdish Peshmarga forces are seen near Altun Kupri, between Kirkuk and Erbil, Iraq October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC18B4882C00

Iraqi Kurdish fighters dealt setback in Pentagon budget

The Pentagon is set to slash salaries for the Iraqi peshmerga in its new budget.

A masked Uighur boy takes part in a protest against China, at the courtyard of Fatih Mosque, a common meeting place for pro-Islamist demonstrators in Istanbul, Turkey, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer SEARCH "SEZER NOURMUHAMMED" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. - RC1EFCCF5820

Uighur debate shows shifting influence in Turkish policies

Differences of opinion within the Turkish security bureaucracy on how to react to China’s treatment of Uighur Turks reveal competing camps.

AH-64 Apache helicopters fly during a closing ceremony of the NATO-led military exercises "Noble Partner 2018" at Vaziani military base outside Tbilisi, Georgia August 15, 2018. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze - RC148FDC7800

Key senator looks to block Apache sale to Egypt over injured American

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is calling for the State Department to hold a billion-dollar US helicopter sale to Egypt until Cairo pays for the medical bills of an American wounded in a 2015 attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool - RC1B6D2D7090

Putin, Aoun discuss Syrian refugee crisis, regional issues

President Putin and President Aoun hold wide-ranging talks, including about the return of refugees to Syria, and Lebanon indicates that despite its issues with Washington, strong US-Lebanese government ties are going to continue.

New bollard-style U.S.-Mexico border fencing is seen next to vehicle barriers in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, U.S., March 5, 2019. Picture taken March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC16D209A700

Border wall fight could jeopardize funding for US bases in the Middle East

The fight over funding for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall could impact key US bases in the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates

American soldiers stand near military trucks, at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC168E86AEF0

Pentagon sustains budget for arming local anti-IS forces amid US pullout

The Donald Trump administration's envoy for Syria issues said the United States is keeping “very limited” numbers of troops in the country as the Pentagon continues to build up the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Algerian counterpart Abdelkader Messahel enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia February 19, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - UP1EE2J0R78HE

Russia expects to maintain footprint in Algeria despite unrest

In Moscow, the Algerian and Russian foreign ministers discussed the North African country's domestic political crisis, their mutual dislike for foreign intervention and the need to elevate bilateral ties.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi (R) in Baghdad, Iraq, during a Middle East tour, January 9, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1DFD99C200

As US hints at plans to reduce troops, Iraqi MPs divided on what comes next

US troops in Iraq are unlikely to leave the country en masse due to US long-term plans to stay, and the sharp disagreement between Iraqi politicians regarding the presence of foreign forces in the country continues apace.