Turkish defense industry risks big damage from US sanctions
The US sanctions targeting Turkey’s defense industry agency may be seen as rather mild by some observers, but they threaten to deprive Turkey of key military technology should they last more than a year.
The new US sanctions against Turkey over its purchase of Russian air defense systems stand to inflict heavy damage on the flourishing Turkish defense industry unless Ankara moves to compromise with Washington to limit the duration and impact of the penalties.
The sanctions, based on the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), were announced Dec. 14, more than a year after Turkey took delivery of the S-400 systems from Russia. President Donald Trump — long under fire for going easy on his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan — actually surprised Ankara by greenlighting the sanctions weeks before his term expires.
The decision made Turkey the first NATO ally to face sanctions under CAATSA and the second country after China to be penalized for purchasing the S-400s, sending a strong signal to other countries that have shown interest in the S-400s such as India and Qatar. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington has demonstrated its resolve to “fully implement CAATSA” and “not tolerate significant transactions with Russia's defense sector.”
The sanctions include a ban on US export licenses to Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) — the government agency in charge of military procurement and exports and the development of the local defense industry — as well as an asset freeze and visa restrictions on the SSB’s president and three senior officials.
