Tensions are rising between Turkey and the U.S. Last year Donald Trump acknowledged that “our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!”, stemming from “ disagreements over defense policy and the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson,” who has now been freed, although that did not improve relations. Now, in complete disregard of American warnings, nine Russian planes “carrying components” of the Russian designed S-400 air-defense missile-defense system completed their first delivery to Turkey on Monday. Final delivery is scheduled for Spring 2020.
The S-400 “shoot down aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles including medium-range missiles, it can also target ground systems,” and its “surface-to-air missiles can strike targets at altitudes of 10,000-27,000 m. and ballistic threats at altitudes of 2,000-25,000 m.”
The US has warned Turkey to pull back from the deal, “warning that it could face economic sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and be removed from the F-35 project. A full partner in the F-35 program, Turkey has ordered 30 of the stealth fighter jets and sent pilots to the United States to train on the aircraft.”
Turkey should have long been expelled from NATO. Its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is aggressive and hostile to the West; his goal is a revived Ottoman Empire, making Turkey more of a threat to the NATO alliance than ally. Then there are Turkey’s increasingly warm relations with Russia, Iran and Qatar.
The latest 2.5-billion-dollar deal with Russia to purchase the S-400 systems will likely have “major ramifications” for the U.S.-Turkish relationship. A former Pentagon official, Michael Rubin, has warned that America should “no longer view Turkey as an ally,” but as a “liability.”
Turkey is an opponent of democracy, made obvious by its record. A few points:
- Over the past couple of years, Turkey has experienced a rapid re-Islamization and the destruction of secularism.
- In a breach of U.S. sovereignty, a spokesman for Erdogan announced that Turkish intel will continue “operations” against foes inside the US, with a focus on Fethullah Gulen.
- Turkish imams have been acting as intel agents and violating sovereignty of Germany.
- Turkey has a complicated relationship with the Islamic State, even aiding it actively.
- Turkey pushes the Islamophobia subterfuge.
- Erdogan declared that there would be a clash between the cross and the crescent over burqa bans in the EU.
- A Turkish “human rights” committee visited Europe to investigate “Islamophobia.”
- Erdogan has been indoctrinating Turkish youth with claims such as the one that “Jews in Israel kick women and children,” and has called for an Organization of Islamic Cooperation army to attack Israel.
A Middle East analyst, Diliman Abdulkader, has advised that the Trump administration should levy sanctions on Turkey that will “bring negative financial consequences for Turkey, which may be headed for an economic collapse similar to Venezuela, according to analysts.”
Turkey, Iran and other Muslim countries have long infiltrated free societies, spread dawah in them, promoted the hijrah globally, and allied with Leftists to curb the freedom of speech. The subversion of the U.S. was made easy by the Obama Administration. Now Trump is left with the fallout.
“Turkey’s Use of Russian S-400 System May Have ‘Major Ramifications’ for U.S., NATO,” by Jackson Richman, Jewish News Syndicate, July 15, 2019:
(July 12, 2019 / JNS) Turkey began to receive the S-400 air-defense missile-defense system on Friday despite U.S. warnings not to do so. The move by Turkey is likely to have “major ramifications” for the U.S.-Turkish relationship, according to Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
“Turkey will no longer be able to receive F-35 stealth jets and Turkish companies removed from the F-35 supply chain will lose $12 billion of revenue. Also, the United States is likely to impose CAATSA sanctions against Turkey, which will further undermine U.S.-Turkish trade and defense cooperation,” he told JNS.
The move could also bring negative financial consequences for Turkey, which may be headed for an economic collapse similar to Venezuela, according to analysts.“The F-35 move could prove to be a costly mistake for [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, especially during Turkey’s ongoing economic downturn. Expected U.S. sanctions will undermine investor confidence at home and abroad, and exacerbate the country’s economic woes by triggering a new wave of capital flight,” said Erdemir.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, materials arrived at the Murted Air Base. A second shipment of equipment is expected to arrive in the near future, reported Russian state-run TASS news agency, citing a military diplomatic source.
The source said that a third delivery, consisting of more than “120 anti-aircraft missiles of various types” will arrive in Turkey “tentatively at the end of the summer, by sea.”
CNN reported that “TASS also quoted the source saying that Turkish S-400 operators will travel to Russia for training in July and August. About 20 Turkish servicemen underwent training at a Russian training center in May and June, according to the source.”
‘Defying repeated warnings’ from the U.S.
Turkey went through with the acquisition, defying repeated warnings from the United States, which has blocked the sale of the F-35 fighter jet in response, in addition to threatening sanctions on Ankara.
Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, told JNS that Washington should no longer view Turkey as an ally.
“Erdoğan pulled the trigger but that’s fine: Turkey is more a liability than an ally. Now it’s imperative that policy makers recognize Turkey is no ally. It’s essential to calibrate U.S. policy to reality rather than wishful thinking,” said Rubin.
Similarly, Diliman Abdulkader, director of external relations at Allegiance Strategies, LLC, and a Middle East analyst, told JNS that the Trump administration should levy sanctions on Turkey.
“After numerous attempts by the United States to convince Turkey from purchasing and delivering the Russian S-400 missiles, Erdoğan decided to take his own path….
mortimer says
Turkey is led by a maniac and Russia’s maniac is stoking the fires of war. That will embolden Turkish aggression, genocidal ideation and expansionism as well as encourage Iran to create nukes. Russia is actually fighting against its interest by arming Turkey.
The Turks and Saudis want a pipeline from Saudi Arabia through Syria and Turkey to Bulgaria and then on to Germany. That would destroy the Russian oil economy by cutting them out of Europe.
Christianblood says
Mortomeir posted
(…Russia is actually fighting against its interest by arming Turkey…)
What an idiotic and stupid statement!!!
Angemon says
Ah, another of CB’s famous back-pedalling – not that long ago, he was all fire and brimstone against Turkey’s ties with the US and NATO, and recently he keeps lying about the US supposedly spending money in Arming Saudi Arabia (when, in fact, the opposite is the truth: selling weapons and getting money in return is not, as CB claims, spending money to give someone else weapons). But here we have, Russia taking Turkish money. Were this the US, he’d be raving mad about how the US were spending money to arm Turkey, that the US were “pro-islamic”, etc. Well, CB, where, exactly, are your complaints about supplying weapons to an isalmic nation now that it’s Russia doing it?
Christianblood says
Angemon
Turkey is a sovereign state and can buy weapons from any country it wants! I slam the US and the West for arming, funding and supporting Islamic terrorists, not for selling arms to sovereign nations.
Angemon says
“Turkey is a sovereign state and can buy weapons from any country it wants! ”
Ah, I see that you’re ignoring what I said. That’s not the issue here. Saudi Arabia is also a sovereign nation that can buy weapons from whomever they want – the difference in your reaction is solely based on whom they buy their weapons from. Saudi Arabia buys weapons to the US? You shriek and lie and claim the US is giving weapons to the Saudis. Turkey buys weapons from Russia? “Nothing to see here, move along”.
Hey, CB, didn’t you accused Turkey of supporting the rebels in Syria? Something along the lines of “America and their Saudi-Qatar-Turkey allies were expecting to murder ALL CHRISTIANS in Syria!!!!!”. Not that that’s the end of your anti-Turkish outcry
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/07/military-jets-over-istanbul-gunfire-in-ankara-as-military-attempts-coup-against-erdogan#comment-1480338
(I guess Turkey went off-road since you just called it a “sovereign nation”)
Or this:
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/09/washington-state-turkish-muslim-arcan-cetin-arrested-for-murder-of-five-people-inside-cascade-mall#comment-1527676
I guess we know how much your opinion is worth – according to you, Turkey is a “genocidal muslim” state and an enemy of Russia and Assad BUT only until their money goes your way. I predicted this – I stated, years ago that, if the Saudis ever turned their backs on the US and became geopolitical allies with your Russia, your criticism of them would cease to exist. Exactly what we see happening with Turkey now – you went from “the Turks are foes of Russia and Assad and want to murder Christians in Syria” to “the Turks are a sovereign nation that can buy their weapons from whomever they want”.
Like I said, your self-righteousness at the imaginary plan to murder Christians is just a front to push a geopolitical agenda – “West is bad, Russia is good”.
Giacomo Latta says
Russia would like to shrink NATO. No news there.
Christianblood says
Pro-Islamist, pro-LGBTQ, Anti-Christian, Degenerate NATO Officials Accidentally Revealed ‘Secret Locations’ Of U.S. Nuclear Weapons In Europe. More of this below:
https://southfront.org/nato-parliament-report-accidentally-revealed-secret-locations-of-u-s-nuclear-weapons-in-europe/
b.a. freeman says
unsurprising, Cb, except for the part where they spilled the beans. everybody knows the u.s. has nukes there, the same way everybody knows that israel has nukes. when the russians have tactical nukes nearby, most likely including neutron bombs, what do U expect?
but keep it up; it’s entertaining. in some ways, U’re rather like tokyo rose or lord heehaw. U at least get the part about islam being evil correct most of the time.
b.a. freeman says
sigh … lord HAWhaw, not HEEhaw.
Christianblood says
b.a. freeman
Not everyone in those countries know that the US has nukes in their countries, in fact most people don’t know it at all. Many waking up to it now to it now and are even demanding those nukes be removed from the territories! See this one example below and the same thing is happening in Italy and Holland.
https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/report-of-us-nukes-in-belgium-stirs-controversy-1.1563339276965
Westman says
“Russia is actually fighting against its interest by arming Turkey.”
It is more likely that Russia wants Turkey as a buffer against NATO and is actively encouraging Erdogan to leave it.
b.a. freeman says
i certainly hope that russia *is* encouraging turkey to leave NATO. turkey is now caliphate, and is a danger to civilized nations, not just a liability.
GreekEmpress says
+1
I especially worry for my relatives in Greece and Cyprus.
Erdogan would love another Ottoman Empire and retake Greece and the Balkans.
Christianblood says
GreekEmpress
US and Nato will definitely arm and support an Islamist take over of Greece and Cyprus just like they did in Bosnia and Kosovo! Too bad Russia will not loose thousands of its brave soldiers to liberate Greece from Ottomans this around. The Greeks made a huge blunder after they joined the satanic, degenerate, Anti-Christian pro-Islamist Nato and they will have to enjoy the consequences of that stupidity! Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRW30Dy1IjE
Angemon says
“US and Nato ”
Ah, as I pointed above, the tune is changing – a couple or so of weeks ago it would be ” US and Nato and Turkey, the genocidal muslim ally of the US and Nato”. But now that Turkish money is flowing East instead of West, Turkey is no longer problematic for CB…
“will definitely arm and support an Islamist take over of Greece and Cyprus ”
As Turkey did in Cyprus? Of course, now that Turkish money is flowing your way, you pretend that never happened…
CRUSADER says
Another in an increasing series of Signs of The Times….
CRUSADER says
Ezekiel 38:
Iran, Russia, Turkey….
Christianblood says
CRUSADER
The best of America $8bn worth of US arms exports to Saudi Arabia, Al-Qaeda to fuel Yemen war and spread human rights and democracy! Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bZQr1LuXuk
Angemon says
“The best of America $8bn worth of US arms exports”
As Trump put it, if the Americans didn’t sell them the weapons the Chinese or Russian would. And seeing what happened the moment Russia sold weapons to the Turks (you went from decrying Turkey as a failed, genocidal, jihadi state to a sovereign nation that can buy weapons from whomever they want), that’s exactly what would happened with Saudi Arabia. Like I predicted years ago.
c matt says
Turkey will no longer be able to receive F-35 stealth jets
The ones with cost overruns and development issues? That’s supposed to be a sanction?
CRUSADER says
Exactly.
They may be harder to track and shoot down,
but they have systems failure rates which discount their performance.
There is logic in having myriads of Sherman tanks vs Panzers;
multiple AK-47s rather than perfect M-16s;
many squadrons of F15s and Mirages flying rather than flight of F-35s….
CRUSADER says
The most expensive weapons system in history, the US’s F-35 Lightning II, is still sometimes losing to the 1970s F-15 in dogfights during training scenarios in Japan.
US Air Force F-15 pilot Capt. Brock McGehee, when asked by Defense News if the F-35s at Kadena Air Force base in Japan still sometimes lost to the Cold War-era fighters, said “I mean, sometimes.”
The F-35 has long been plagued by reports of that it can’t dogfight as well as older, much cheaper jets, despite being in development for nearly two decades and claiming to revolutionize air combat.
Cold War jets can still pull a win out — for now…
In 2015, *War is Boring* published a report from a test pilot that said the F-35 couldn’t turn or climb fast enough to keep up with older jets, and F-16s lugging heavy fuel tanks under wing still routinely trounced it.
But a lot has changed since 2015. The F-35 has had its software upgraded and the tactics refined.
Retired US Marine Corps Lt. Col. David Berke previously told “Business Insider” that the older jets benefited from decades of development and training, whereby new pilots today have established best practices. As the F-35 is still in its early days, Berke said the best is yet to come.
In 2017, the F-35 dominated older jets with a ratio of 15 kills to one death.
“The biggest limitation for the F-35 is that pilots are not familiar with how to fly it. They try to fly the F-35 like their old airplane,” Berke said.
But the pilots at Kadena dogfighting against F-15s may be a cut above, according to Berke, who said that because they have never flown a legacy jet before, they won’t bring the bad habits with them, and will instead learn how to fly the F-35 like the unique plane it is. “They’re going to be your best, most effective tacticians,” Berke said.
F-35s at a major disadvantage to any legacy jet in a dogfight —
“The F-35 cannot out dogfight a Typhoon (or a Su-35), never in a million years,” Justin Bronk, a combat aircraft expert at the Royal United Services Institute, previously told Business Insider.
The reason why, according to Bronk and other experts on the F-35, is that the F-35 just isn’t a dogfighter. The F-35’s stealth design put heavy demands on the shape of the aircraft, which restricted it in some dimensions. As a result, it’s not the most dynamic jet the US could have possibly built, but it doesn’t have to be.
Instead, the F-35 relies on stealth. F-35s, employed correctly in battle, would score most of their kills with long range missiles fired from beyond visual range.
“If you get into a dogfight with the F-35, somebody made a mistake. It’s like having a knife fight in a telephone booth,” civilian F-16 pilot Adam Alpert of the Vermont Air National Guard wrote in 2016 after training on F-35 simulators.
Top Gun pilot says dogfighting is dead anyway —
An alumnus of the US Navy’s famous Top Gun school, Berke echoed Alpert’s assessment, but warned that the common perception of dogfighting was “way off,” and something US jets haven’t done in 40 years. He disagreed with Bronk’s “never in a million years” assertion, but maintained that the dogfighting issue was basically irrelevant.
The bottom line is that in training, all jets lose “sometimes.” That the F-35 can hold its own and beat a jet refined over four decades to excel exclusively at air-to-air combat — when the F-35 has been designed to fight, bomb, spy, and sneak — shows its tremendous range and potential.
— Business Insider
Eric Jones says
The USA and Russia will find out that Turkey under Erdogan is no ones friend. Turkey should be expelled from NATO.
Once stand off weapons are fired a jet fighters ability to dog fight will remain essential. Go F 4 Phantom!
Eric
cornelis brouwer says
Your first comment is correct. But that is what I told Trump already before he was elected. https://www.amazon.de/Trumps-Battle-English-Cornelis-Brouwer-ebook/dp/B01N5NH4KM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549404055&sr=8-2&keywords=Trump%27s+Battle
Georg says
This is almost as good as Google thinking they can avail themselves of the U.S. and then point weapons at us from the communist dictatorship of China (while attempting to throw U.S. elections, no less).