Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/256580 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
SWP Comment No. 38/2019
Publisher: 
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), Berlin
Abstract: 
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has recently stated that there is no reason why Turkey should not have nuclear warhead-tipped missiles, at a time when other nations also possess such a deterrent. The Turkish president's remarks sparked heated debates as to Ankara's possible military policy shifts and related nuclear objectives. In the 2010s, Turkey accomplished a number of outstanding achievements in the defence sector, especially in unmanned systems development. Ankara is also pursuing a ballistic missile programme (the Bora missile) which saw its operational debut back in May 2019. However, in the short term, the Turkish defence technological and industrial base (DTIB) lacks the capacity to support military-grade nuclear proliferation, nuclear warhead design and strategic ballistic missile production. More importantly, present indicators suggest no backtrack from Turkey's non-proliferation commitments. Rather, the 'nuclear missile' rhetoric essentially highlights Ankara's geopolitical worldview.
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Research Report

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