Historical transformation of Turkish defense industry policy: The National Technology Move

The defense industry has been one of the most fundamental determinants of the power of states in politics and economy. States effectively use and develop national policies to maintain their national sovereignty and achieve their objectives. The foundation of the Turkish defense industry dates back to the height of the Ottoman Empire. Although the defense industry has a long history of its own, Türkiye has for many years sought to fulfill the vast majority of its defense related equipment and main weapons systems, rather than the national defense industry, with military aid, grants and loans from western countries. As a result of the Cyprus Peace Operation carried out in 1974, the embargoes imposed on Türkiye by the Turkish allied states had a negatively affected the Turkish defense industry. For this reason, Türkiye has stepped up its own defense industry development and strengthening, which is aimed at establishing a domestic defense industry by minimizing dependence on external affairs. Accordingly this target, necessary concrete steps have been taken. This study examined the historical transformation of Turkish defense industry policy in the context of the "National Technology Move" and examined concrete steps in this context. It also detailed the "TECHNOFEST" event for community adoption of the "National Technology Movement" movement. The study concluded that embargoes Türkiye has experienced in the past in the field of defense industry were instrumental in the development and growth of its own defense industry.