The U.S. Continues To Spend Millions To Upgrade Its Bases In Turkey Even Though Relations Continue To Deteriorate Between Washington And Ankara

The approximate locations of Air Force-managed facilities in Turkey as of September 2017. From left to right: Cigli Air Base, Izmir Air Station, the Ankara Administration Office, the Yumurtalik Petroleum Products Storage Annex, Batman Air Base, and Mus Air Base. Google Maps

Warzone/The Drive: USAF Is Spending Millions To Upgrade Turkey Bases Amid Turkish Threats To Kick Them Out

Turkey says it could shut down American military facilities if the United States sanctions it over buying Russian arms and its intervention in Syria.

The U.S. Air Force has announced that it will pay eight different Turkish firms tens of millions of dollars to update the infrastructure and complete other construction projects at facilities it operates in that country over the next five years. This comes amid threats from Turkey's government, including from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to suspend or outright terminate American access to various bases in the country, including Incirlik Air Base, where the United States presently stores approximately 50 B61 nuclear bombs.

The Pentagon announced the Air Force deals, worth $95 million in total, in its daily contracting announcement on Dec. 23, 2019. The notice does not say how much each of the Turkish companies received. The Air Force only considered offers from local companies in accordance with the U.S.-Turkey Defense Economic Cooperation Agreement (DECA), which the two countries signed in 1980 and includes guarantees for Turkish participation in military construction projects.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. is fast approaching that point where a debate is going to be needed on what will be the future of U.S. - Turkish relations.

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