Patriot Missiles to Turkey?

[jerryfmcompushaft]

BRUSSELS - Turkey's government requested the deployment of NATO's Patriot surface-to-air missiles Wednesday to bolster its defenses along its border with Syria and prevent a spillover of the civil war in that nation, officials said.

NATO doesn't want to be drawn into the Syrian conflict and said it would consider deploying the missiles purely to protect Turkey, a member country. Any deployment of NATO forces needs the approval of the alliance's governing body, the North Atlantic Council.

[full text]

Does anyone remember that Turkey started out by denying US passage during the Gulf Wars? Has anyone been paying attention to what the current Turkish Prime Minister is saying about the current Palestine "troubles"? Who thinks Turkey has the right to ask for anything?

[Deleted]

I don't blame them for at least asking for them. Turkey is kind of unique in that we really want (need) them to be our allies and they really want (need) our money. Despite some hiccups, they have been one of the few countries in that region who aren't overtly 100% anti-American. I spent a year there (1970) and never felt completely comfortable. But they sure know how to fight.

[Sir John]

"But they sure know how to fight."


Agree 100%



SJ

[Swampy]

Turkey is a Nato ally and is entitled to protection. Whatever Turkey thinks about Israel, it has loyally supported us against the Soviet Union.

[boxcar]

>>Does anyone remember that Turkey started out by denying US passage during the Gulf Wars?<<

They did not acutally deny passage. They wanted 21 billion for passage. And the passage through their mountain roads would have been a 50% additional distance to cover.

All in all it was p-poor planning on our part. We should have entered through the Gulf.

[mcnoch]

Turkey had become a major power in this region and Bush jun. mad a number of promisses which he didn't kept and he not even consulted the Turkish government about his plans to send a division thru Turkey. What Turkey did was the normal alergic reation to Bush you saw back then everywhere except Poland which was copensated with so far 83 billion US$ for their friendship.

My problem with this request is that Germany will provide them with the Patriots PAC-3, but Turkey wants to be the one who controlles them. And in the end, it is just political tamtam without any worth, because it is unlikely that Syria will send missiles of bombers to Turkey. And it they want to do, there are ways to do that which will beyond the possible cover of the Patriot systems.

[jerryfmcompushaft]

My question is - "What has Turkey done fot NATO recently?"

[Swampy]

Nov 23, 2012 8:12:16 GMT -5 jerryfmcompushaft said:

My question is - "What has Turkey done fot NATO recently?"

What has any country done for Nato recently? Aside from the fighting in Afghanistan, there's nothing that any Nato country, including Canada, has done.

[mcnoch]

NATO has already inspected possible sites where Patriot missles could be based in Turkey, but made it very clear today, that the fire-controll for these missiles would be located in Ramstein, Germany, not Turkey.

[jerryfmcompushaft]

Troops are on the way

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INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- The U.S. will send two batteries of Patriot missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a NATO force meant to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attack, the Pentagon said Friday.[/i]

[Full test here]

[boxcar]

That article stated, “Turkey is a founding member of NATO.’ To my knowledge, Turkey is a recent entrant to NATO.

[mcnoch]

Germany and the Netherlands will similar PAC-3 contingents.

Yes, Turkey was no charter member, but joined NATO in 1952, so I won't name it 'recent'.