Turkey's defense sector enters 2026 with naval progress — and unresolved vulnerabilities
A year marked by regional wars, drone incursions and major arms exports has left Turkey confronting a familiar dilemma: how to turn ambition and prototypes into real deterrence without the budget to fully sustain them.
ANKARA — Shaken by wars across its neighborhood and rapid advances in military technology, Turkey heads into 2026 confronting difficult decisions over defense spending, force modernization and strategic priorities, analysts say.
In retrospect, 2025 revealed both progress and persistent weaknesses across Turkey’s armed forces. Though Ankara logged gains in air power, naval production and defense exports, drone incidents, aging land systems and budget constraints underscored the need to move from prototypes to mass production and to sharply increase spending to meet NATO targets and deter threats from Russia, regional rivalries in the eastern Mediterranean and instability to the south.
Defense analysts say Turkey must sharpen its strategic and operational priorities amid growing regional uncertainty, including Russia’s war in Ukraine; tensions involving Israel, Iran and Syria; and Israel’s deepening cooperation with Greece and Greek Cypriot partners, long-time rivals of Ankara.
Analysts add that Turkey will need to move more quickly from prototypes and concept demonstrations to mass production to strengthen deterrence, while significantly increasing defense and security spending to equip the armed forces with the most advanced systems available from domestic and international suppliers.
