ANKARA, Turkey — The United States remains committed to NATO despite growing debate over burden-sharing and military deployments, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said, describing the alliance as undergoing a strategic adjustment rather than facing an institutional crisis ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Ankara.
Turkey will host leaders from NATO’s 32 member states, along with officials from Gulf countries and the Asia-Pacific region, on July 7-8 in a gathering that Ankara hopes will reinforce alliance cohesion, strengthen deterrence and demonstrate continued support for Ukraine.
The summit comes at a time of heightened uncertainty after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly questioned Washington’s long-term commitment to NATO while urging European allies to assume greater responsibility for their own defense. The United States has also begun reducing troops, aircraft, ships and military equipment stationed in Europe amid disagreements over defense spending and allied participation in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Reuters, Guler said NATO remained the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security and that current developments reflected the alliance’s adaptation to evolving geopolitical realities.
“NATO continues to be an unparalleled and fundamental platform for Euro-Atlantic security and defence. We evaluate the period we are going through not as a crisis, but as a process of adjusting to the changing security environment,” Guler said.
He rejected suggestions that Washington intended to abandon the alliance, saying the United States instead wanted European members and Canada to shoulder a greater share of responsibility for regional security.
“It is expected that contacts and efforts on creating a concrete roadmap to strengthen the European pillar will intensify at the Summit,” Guler said, adding that Turkey supported a more balanced distribution of defense responsibilities while preserving NATO’s unity.
European governments have increasingly discussed strengthening their own defense capabilities amid concerns that the United States could further reduce its military presence on the continent.
Guler said Washington remained indispensable to NATO’s overall deterrence posture and that preserving transatlantic ties remained strategically important.
“NATO’s current nuclear sharing arrangements and the U.S. role of extended deterrence remain fundamentally important to the security of the Alliance,” he said.
Turkey, which maintains NATO’s second-largest military force, has significantly expanded its domestic defense industry over the past decade, reducing dependence on foreign suppliers while developing advanced drones, missile systems and other military technologies.
Despite those advances, Ankara has remained excluded from several European defense initiatives because of longstanding political disagreements with some allies.
Guler said Europe would benefit from closer cooperation with Turkey rather than limiting its participation.
“We believe excluding such an important capacity from Europe’s defence initiatives is a strategically inaccurate approach,” he said, adding that European governments should adopt a more forward-looking approach toward defense cooperation with Ankara.
NATO members agreed last year to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035. Guler said Turkey remained committed to meeting that target and expected to fulfill all alliance capability goals by 2029.
He identified drones, counter-drone technologies, integrated air defense, missile systems, naval modernization, unmanned platforms and cyber capabilities as Turkey’s principal investment priorities. He added that development of the country’s domestically integrated “Steel Dome” air defense network was continuing and would be completed as quickly as possible.
Air defense remains one of Turkey’s most significant military requirements, with the country continuing to rely heavily on NATO systems while evaluating additional procurement options.
Guler said Ankara remained open to acquiring U.S.-made Patriot missile systems or the Franco-Italian SAMP-T system if they met Turkey’s operational requirements and included provisions for technology transfer and joint production.
“Our core approach on this issue is clear: we are open to all cooperation that meets our country’s security needs, that includes technology-sharing and joint production, and that is sustainable and in line with the spirit of alliance,” he said.
He added that technical and political discussions with potential suppliers were continuing as Turkey evaluates options to strengthen its long-range air defense capabilities.
