US suspends F-35 sales to Turkey. Now what?

[faithfulguy]

NDAA SIGNED INTO LAW: With a Humvee and an attack helicopter as a backdrop, President Trump signed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act on Monday at Fort Drum, N.Y., and delivered the massive policy bill into law at the earliest point in decades. “With this new authorization, we will increase the size and strength of our military by adding thousands of new recruits to active duty, Reserve and National Guard units, including 4,000 new active-duty soldiers. And we will replace aging tanks, aging planes and ships with the most advanced and lethal technology ever developed. And hopefully, we'll be so strong, we'll never have to use it, but if we ever did, nobody has a chance,” Trump said to the audience of 10th Mountain Division troops, Pentagon officials and Capitol Hill lawmakers.

The NDAA authorizes new equipment for the military and is part of the second installment of a two-year budget deal by Congress to hike defense spending. Rep. Mac Thornberry, the House Armed Services chairman, said the bill “continues to rebuild and repair our military,” but stressed that Congress has yet to fund the NDAA initiatives with a 2019 defense spending bill. "It is now essential that we follow this bill with matching appropriations before the beginning of the fiscal year,” Thornberry said. The House passed its defense appropriations bill; the Senate is still working to bring one to a floor vote by the Oct. 1 deadline.

TURKEY F-35 SALES SUSPENDED: While new equipment must still be funded, many of the new policies in the NDAA kicked in immediately yesterday. That includes suspension of F-35 joint strike fighter sales to Turkey until Defense Secretary Jim Mattis turns over a report to Congress on relations and weapons sales to Ankara. The Pentagon has 90 days and the clock is now ticking. But it remains unclear what effects the NDAA policy may have. In June, Turkey received its first two F-35s from maker Lockheed Martin. Now, Turkish personnel are being trained on both at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. “The training of Turkish F-35 personnel at Luke Air Force Base will continue until the NDAA-required secretary of defense F-35 report has been submitted to Congress for their decision on the way forward,” Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman, said.

Lockheed was mostly mum on Monday. “Legislation related to the relationship between the United States and Turkey is a government-to-government matter and the Department of Defense is best placed to answer questions,” a spokesman said. “We’ll provide information if requested to the Pentagon as they complete their report and will comply with any resulting official U.S. government guidance.” Turkey wants to buy 100 of the aircraft. Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Teal Group, said Ankara has so far ordered 32. It was expected to take delivery of about 10 per year over a decade or more, so the three-month deadline for the Pentagon report might not be particularly disruptive...

 

[FalconStar]

Let the games begin!

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

You know what? Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran. All these countries sanctioned and bullied by America. They can get together and come up with a JSF that is way better than America's JSF. Hell ya!

 

[$@rJen]

You know what? Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran. All these countries sanctioned and bullied by America. They can get together and come up with a JSF that is far better than America's JSF. Hell ya!

Will you Just shut your Hole for one minute....

Turkey's Erdogan pledges US electronics boycott, gets closer with Russia
By Gul Tuysuz and Hilary Clarke, CNN

Updated 1155 GMT (1955 HKT) August 14, 2018




Current Time 0:10
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Duration Time 2:11

Source: CNN

Trump threatens sanctions on Turkey over pastor 02:11
Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a boycott of American electronics Tuesday after US President Donald Trump's decision to hike tariffs on Turkish steel imports.

"Whatever we buy from abroad we are going to produce here in better quality and export it. We are going to boycott US electronics," Erdogan said at celebrations of the 17th anniversary of his Justice and Development Party.
"If they have the iPhone on the other hand there is Samsung. In our country we have Venus and Vestel," he said, referring to a Turkish-made phone made by electronics manufacturer Vestel.
"What we can do is proved by what we have done so far. Whatever we pay for from abroad, we will do here," he said.
It is not clear if this will be an official government boycott or just a call to the Turkish public to stop buying American electronics.
Russia stands by Turkey
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on an official visit to Ankara, said the increased US tariffs and sanctions imposed by Washington are "based on the desire to dominate everywhere in everything, to control international affairs and to achieve unilateral advantages on global markets. In the process of doing so they make their own allies suffer."
Speaking at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Lavrov said: "I'm certain that with such abuse, the role of the American dollar as the world reserve currency will weaken and more countries, even not affected by the American sanctions, will get away from dollars."
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan had also discussed using national currencies in trade. Russia has sought to stop using the dollar in its commerce with Iran and China.
Cavusoglu said that US sanctions were being used to attack countries across the world and exert pressure on them, causing alarm in Europe.
Erdogan hits back
Erdogan has remained defiant after Trump doubled tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Turkey to 20% and 50%, respectively.
These import taxes came on top of 10% additional tariffs on aluminum and 25% on steel from all countries, in a bid by Trump to protect the US steel industry and please voters in America's industrial heartland.
The tariff increases come amid Trump's concerns over an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, imprisoned in Turkey since 2016. He is accused of involvement with an attempted coup that led to tens of thousands of people being arrested.
On Monday, Erdogan turned his attentions to social media with the announcement that Turkish authorities are investigating 346 accounts that "provoke the currency rate increase," the official news agency Anadolu reported.
The "law will be applied to those who release fake news about banks, financial institutions and companies that are open to public," the Capital Markets Board of Turkey said in a statement.
The financial regulatory body said violators could face two to five years in prison.
Presidential adviser and spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter: "Our ministry of treasury and finance, Central Bank, Capital Markets Board, Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency and other institutions take necessary steps for financial stability. Turkish economy's body is solid. Nobody should give credit to speculative news. Turkey will be stronger at the end of this process."
The Turkish lira rebounded 6% in Tuesday trading, haven fallen 25% in the past month, weighed down by the spat with the US and wider concerns about the country's stalling economy.
CNN's Sarah El Sirgany, Tim Lister in Moscow and Spencer Feingold in Atlanta contributed to this report.

 

[Agha Sher]

The suspension is only temporary and will likely have no impact on the delivery of F-35s to Turkey. Pentagon and Mattis are clearly interested in good terms with Turkey, and they will deliver a report benefiting Turkey. In the meantime, Turkish pilots will continue their training and preparation for delivery will continue on both sides.

 

[BHarwana]

Well well some media houses getting carried away. It is delayed not shut and if TAI stops making F-35 it will be delayed by 3 years USA is in trouble

 

[$@rJen]

In case of Israeli rat it’s holl.not hole

Kid, GO AWAY.. don't ruin the thread

 

[Lucky Breeze]

True.... But another coup attempt is imminent

Exactly, Blocking is not possible because Turkey is a partner in JSF program. Yet delaying might be a tactic to create frustration and anger in Turkish military against erdogan.

 

[Quasar]

The suspension is only temporary and will likely have no impact on the delivery of F-35s to Turkey. Pentagon and Mattis are clearly interested in good terms with Turkey, and they will deliver a report benefiting Turkey. In the meantime, Turkish pilots will continue their training and preparation for delivery will continue on both sides.

At last a post which makes sense!

 

[Timur]

we should delay f35 too

 

[Agha Sher]

we should delay f35 too

That would be a smart move. Just disrupting the supply chain for a month or two until the defence ministry of Turkey delivers a report on whether the Americans should be considered an ally.

 

[DavidSling]

That would be a smart move. Just disrupting the supply chain for a month or two until the defence ministry of Turkey delivers a report on whether the Americans should be considered an ally.

Turkey acts as a superpower which clearly it isn't.
Israel released a Turkish citizen in charge for supporting terrorist organization Hamas and funding it by U.S request.
Surely, Turkey can do the same for an ally like the U.S.

 

[hussain0216]

You know what? Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran. All these countries sanctioned and bullied by America. They can get together and come up with a JSF that is far better than America's JSF. Hell ya!

Its the way the world is going, as the U.S turns bombastic and slightly unhinged, it cant be trusted

The world won't stop turning and countries defence needs wont stop because the U.S is having a fit

The world will find alternatives

 

[Timur]

That would be a smart move. Just disrupting the supply chain for a month or two until the defence ministry of Turkey delivers a report on whether the Americans should be considered an ally.

there could be some call out for a strike ppl just dont go to work because they want now some extra money because of lira and here you have one month no goods from tai for f35

 

[Agha Sher]

Turkey acts as a superpower which clearly it isn't.
Israel released a Turkish citizen in charge for supporting terrorist organization Hamas and funding it by U.S request.
Surely, Turkey can do the same for an ally like the U.S.

To be honest, we don't really know what's up an down with the pastor case.

I think Turkey would definitely have handed over the pastor if there was a deal. Anyways, Israel's resolute action on letting the Turk go is a clear indication of the strong and unique relationship between the US and Israel.

I think Turkey asked the US for someone else. Someone which the US was unwilling to give to Turkey, therefore the US unilaterally made a deal with Israel about the freed individual while hoping that Turkey would be satisfied with less. As we know, Turkey responded with moving the pastor out of jail and into house arrest - a clear indication of that they were not satisfied.