US should recognise destabilisation caused by Turkey's drone exports: Former Pentagon official
Jan 14, 2023
Istanbul [Turkey], January 14 : It is now time for the White House and the US Congress to recognise the destabilization that Turkey's drone exports represent and sanction Turkey's defence industry, wrote Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official for Washington, D.C. based news publication 19fortyfive.
Turkish drones undermine security in Africa's Great Lakes region to the Caucasus and from Indian Kashmir to Libya, Rubin wrote.
According to Rubin, the US Congress should consider imposing sanctions on Baykar and other Turkish firms for promoting Erdogan's strategy of using drones to create chaos and then profit from it.
A Turkish Air Force cargo plane on January 6, 2023, landed at Goma's airport in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The plane had equipment the Turkish military wanted to provide the Congolese army as it increasingly faces off with local groups in the region.
The equipment included combat drones that, according to Rashid Abdi of the Nairobi-based Sahan Research, could upset the strategic balance between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and inflame tension between the two countries at a time when Secretary of State Antony Blinken has worked overtime to calm disputes, wrote Rubin for 19fortyfive.
According to the report, Turkey seeks diplomatic and financial benefits by offering military equipment. This is what Turkey did in Libya, exporting drones, threatening adversaries and trying to get financial rewards.
Turkey's defence industry generated USD 4 billion in sales in 2022. Turkish officials are proud of their defence industry. "We are determined to make 2023 a turning point in the defence industry," Erdogan said on January 9, 2023.
