Senator urges Austin to remove Turkey from F35 programme

I encourage you to accelerate the process to ensure Turkeys prompt removal from the F-35 supply chain, he urged.Lankford has led the effort in Congress to prevent Turkey from having access to US F-35 technology since it purchased the S-400 system from Russia.He authored the provision in the National Defense Authorization Act FY20 NDAA that prevented the transfer of the F-35 aircraft to Turkey and ended their role in the programme.After delays to remove Turkey from the supply chain, Lankford sent a letter in July 2020 urging full implementation of the law.


PTI | Washington DC | Updated: 30-03-2021 07:14 IST | Created: 30-03-2021 07:14 IST
Senator urges Austin to remove Turkey from F35 programme
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An US Senator has urged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to halt the transfer of F-35 technology to Turkey, which has purchased S-400 missile defense system from Russia, saying not doing so would send a wrong signal to countries like India that is also going ahead with similar purchase.

''The slow Pentagon removal of Turkey from the F-35 supply chain is sending the wrong message to nations like India who are exploring similar procurement opportunities with Russia,'' Senator James Lankford said on Monday in a letter to Austin, who was in New Delhi last week.

The US must continue to urge ''our allies and partners to move away from Russian equipment,'' the senator from Oklahoma noted.

''But if we refrain from holding Turkey fully accountable for its S-400 purchase by allowing them to continue producing parts, we will signal to India and other partners that such behavior is permissible, or at least, will not have consequences,'' Lankford said. ''This will damage our efforts to discourage further military cooperation between our partners and Moscow.'' In his letter, the senator expressed dissatisfaction over the pace at which the Department of Defense is working to remove Turkey from the supply chain of the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 prohibits Turkey from providing any ''material support necessary for, or related to, any maintenance or support of the F–35 aircraft,'' he said.

''While you and Secretary Blinken have made efforts to ensure the security of the F-35 program and encourage Turkey to divest of the S-400, including at the NATO Foreign Ministerial last week, Turkish manufacturers are still producing and delivering key components of the aircraft despite the statutory prohibition on such participation in the manufacturing line,'' he said.

''Having followed this situation for the better part of three years and received unsatisfactory answers from DOD officials, I am concerned by the Pentagon's continued evasiveness and lack of urgency on this issue. I encourage you to accelerate the process to ensure Turkey's prompt removal from the F-35 supply chain,'' he urged.

Lankford has led the effort in Congress to prevent Turkey from having access to US F-35 technology since it purchased the S-400 system from Russia.

He authored the provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (FY20 NDAA) that prevented the transfer of the F-35 aircraft to Turkey and ended their role in the programme.

After delays to remove Turkey from the supply chain, Lankford sent a letter in July 2020 urging full implementation of the law. He has also called for sanctions against Turkey for the S-400 purchase, which then President Donald Trump imposed in December 2020. PTI LKJ HMB

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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