NATO chief says alliance 'already benefits' from Türkiye's defense industry

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday said NATO is already benefiting from Türkiye's defense industrial output, describing ASELSAN as one example among roughly 3,000 defense companies operating in the country.

At the pre-summit news conference, Rutte underlined Türkiye's strategic importance within NATO, citing its geographic location and rapidly expanding defense industrial base.

"NATO is already very much profiting from what Türkiye is doing in terms of the defense industrial output," Rutte told reporters.

"ASELSAN is one example, but only one of maybe 3,000 companies in total, big ones like ASELSAN, but also medium-sized, smaller companies. Türkiye is already, through its defense industry, supporting so many other countries," he added.

ASELSAN is among the five companies selected by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) last year for NATO's Modular Air Defense Concept Stage. The company is also preparing new deliveries of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems and communication solutions.

Rutte also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his team for hosting allied leaders at what he described as a "fantastic venue."

Turning to the alliance's broader defense priorities, Rutte urged allies to convert increased defense spending into concrete military capabilities.

"Allies must translate our economic might into military capabilities," he said, calling on members to put "cash to work" for drones, missiles and air defense interceptors.

Those efforts are expected to take center stage at Tuesday's NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum, where allied governments and defense companies will unveil new defense contracts and multinational industrial initiatives.

"We will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend. And then our industries, from Arkansas to Ankara, combine their strengths and step up supply," Rutte said in remarks previewing the forum.

- Defense spending, China and Ukraine

Rutte said allies committed at last year's summit to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035 and were already making significant progress toward that goal. He noted that European allies and Canada are now investing around 4% of their GDP in defense and security, while also taking on greater responsibilities within NATO and moving toward matching US defense spending.

On China, Rutte said Beijing's latest ballistic missile launch demonstrated why allies "cannot be naive about China," arguing that security developments in the Indo-Pacific and the transatlantic region are increasingly interconnected.

His remarks came after China test-launched a long-range ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean as part of what Beijing described as a routine military exercise.

Addressing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine, Rutte said the alliance must continue supporting Kyiv, particularly by strengthening its air defense capabilities.

He described Russia's overnight missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities as "another horrific attack" and said all allies must continue providing Ukraine with the support it needs because "Ukraine's security is so closely linked with our own."

Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine overnight into Monday, targeting Kyiv and other areas, with Ukrainian officials reporting at least 20 people killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

NATO heads of state and government are meeting in Ankara on July 7-8 for the alliance's 2026 summit, hosted by Türkiye. The two-day summit will focus on implementing the defense spending commitments agreed at the 2025 summit, sustaining military support for Ukraine and expanding defense industrial production.It is taking place amid renewed debate over transatlantic burden-sharing and continued uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to participate in summit events.