DEFENSE NEWS - First Decisions of the Defense Industry Executive Committee in 2025 (V 1 – May 27, 2025)

Established by Law No. 3238 of November 7, 1985 (as amended), the Defense Industry Executive Committee (Savunma Sanayii İcra Komitesi – SSİK) saw its role and composition redefined as part of the measures taken following the attempted coup of July 15, 2016.

Today, the amended Presidential Decree No. 7 of July 15, 2018, assigns the SSİK the following missions:

a) To ensure its actions are aligned with the overarching strategy and principles guiding the development of the defense industry;

b) To decide, in line with the Strategic Objectives Plan for the Turkish Armed Forces and the security priorities set by the Ministry of the Interior for the Gendarmerie General Command, the Coast Guard Command, and the General Directorate of Security (Police), on the local procurement or manufacturing of validated weapons, vehicles, and modern equipment, including the option of sourcing from foreign suppliers if necessary;

c) To seek and promote opportunities for establishing defense industry structures with foreign technology and capital contributions (from public or private sectors), to monitor implementation plans, and, if required, to take principled decisions on State participation in the creation of such structures;

d) To provide directives to the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) for the research and development of weapons, vehicles, and equipment to be acquired, the construction of necessary prototypes, the provision of financial advances and long-term procurement, and the identification of various economic and financial incentive measures;

e) To make decisions regarding the export of defense equipment, offsets, and bilateral trade;

f) To ensure coordination among the various stakeholders in the defense industry;

g) To define the principles for the use of the Defense Industry Development Fund (1);

h) To specify the procedures for assistance provided by the Defense Industry Development Fund for personnel training and individual payments aimed at developing human resources in the defense industry sector.

The SSİK is composed of the President of the Republic, the Vice President, the Minister of Treasury and Finance, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of National Defense, the Minister of Industry and Technology, the Chief of the General Staff, and the President of the Defense Industries (2). It is chaired by the President of the Republic or, in his absence, by the Vice President.

The SSİK convenes upon the request of the President of the Republic, who also sets the meeting agenda.

At its first meeting of 2025, held on May 13 at the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the SSİK discussed and made decisions on the following projects:

• Naval and aerial kamikaze drones capable of operating in swarms;
• Air combat drone for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, with attention to the future role of such platforms in warfare;
• Mass production of short, medium, and long-range air defense systems (HİSAR and SİPER systems);
• Mass production of long-range missiles;
• Development of a force-multiplier missile;
• TF-2000 air defense frigate;
• National submarine MİLDEN;
• Autonomous space launch capability;
• Mass production of the T625 GÖKBEY multirole light helicopter;
• Development of electronic warfare capabilities;
• Protection of critical sectors and infrastructure against drone threats;
• Procurement of equipment for aerial drone subsystems;
• Procurement of armored personnel carriers, rescue vehicles, and various land vehicles;
• Ground-based kamikaze drones;
• Procurement of simulators and various electro-optical systems.

The official SSİK statement did not specify which contractors were awarded these projects, although most are already known.

(1) Except in the case provided for in the second paragraph of Article 10 of Law No. 3238 of November 7, 1985, relating to certain provisions concerning the defense industry: “The intelligence and security needs of the MIT (National Intelligence Organization) and the General Directorate of Security (Police) are subject to procurement by the MIT, financed by the Defense Industry Development Fund. However, the resources required to meet the intelligence and security needs for which direct acquisition by the MIT has been deemed appropriate are, upon the MIT’s proposal and with the approval of the President of the Republic, transferred to Defense Industry Development Fund accounts opened in the name of the MIT. These transferred amounts are spent in accordance with the regulations in force within the MIT.” In essence, this reflects state oversight over special funds, as is the case in all Western countries.

(2) Until the post-coup attempt reforms of 2016, the Committee was composed solely of the Prime Minister, the Chief of the General Staff, and the Minister of National Defense. The Undersecretary for the Defense Industry was not a member.

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Article written by Patrice MOYEUVRE, General Officer in 2s of the French Air and Space Force, researcher at IRIS and Director of defense and security projects within Advantis.