Intel: US leans on Turkey despite tensions
The top US military commander in Europe told Congress today that Turkey remains a key ally despite the Donald Trump administration’s decision to boot the NATO partner from the F-35 program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system last summer.
The top US military commander in Europe told Congress today that Turkey remains a key ally despite the Donald Trump administration’s decision to boot the NATO partner from the F-35 program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system last summer.
The exchange: Pressed by Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott in a posture hearing Tuesday, the dual-hatted NATO supreme allied commander and US European Command chief Gen. Tod Wolters said that “Turkey remains a very reliable ally” more than seven months after receiving its first S-400 batteries.
Impacts: But as the Pentagon winds down Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program over long-held fears that the Russian system could wind up reducing the American fighter’s ability to evade detection in combat, Ankara will not be directly participating in a massive military exercise in Europe.
“They are on the periphery,” Wolters said, confirming that Turkey would hold observer status for the drill that will include nearly 40,000 allied troops in a defensive scenario on the Suwalki Gap between Poland and Lithuania.
