Surrounded by war, Turkey more than triples defence spending

Turkey has unveiled plans to more than triple its defence spending over the next three years, driven by regional conflicts and a desire for a greater security footprint across Europe and the Middle East.

Rather than ramping up its purchases from Western allies, Nato’s second-largest military power will direct most of its 229 per cent budget increase between 2027 and 2029 towards expanding domestic production.

Announcing the plan on Sunday, Vice-President Cevdet Yilmaz said the aim was to ensure Turkey “develops its own technologies in the defence industry, can meet its own needs and produces high added value”.

Outlining the rationale behind the increase, Yilmaz added: “Where there is no security, there can be neither development nor democracy. We are shaping our budget accordingly.”

Bill Park, a senior lecturer in defence studies at King’s College London, said Ankara had long been building towards greater defence self-sufficiency.