America partners with Turkey to replenish its empty arsenal

 “A strong relationship with Turkey is in America's interest, and we are working with Turkey to replenish the depleted American arsenal as a result of the war in Ukraine,” said US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake. In a piece for the US newspaper Desert News, he called the action of Congress to approve the sale of 40 F-16 aircraft to Turkey "very important", saying: "The governments of the two countries may change, but the geography does not change. This action shows the commitment of America and Turkey to "that strong bilateral relations are in the personal interests of both our countries." This former senator and former member of the US House of Representatives stated that "Turkey's F-16 fleet is vital to NATO forces and gives Turkey, as NATO's second largest military, a greater opportunity to contribute to our collective security." Turkey's sale of highly capable drones to Ukraine thwarted Moscow's initial ambitions for a full-scale invasion in 2022... and Turkey prevented Russian warships from entering the Black Sea. Flake said the US is using Turkey's "influence, historical ties and economic power" in many parts of the world to advance its interests because Turkey's ability to engage in dialogue with America's enemies is "unique." Speaking about Israel's war against the Palestinian people, he stressed that Turkey is in an advantageous position to play its role in resolving the conflict in Gaza. According to the US Ambassador to the Joe Biden Administration: "Improved US-Turkish relations will lead to progress on a range of issues important to America's security, power and prosperity." Beyond the $23 billion F-16 contract, the ongoing transformation of Turkey's defense sector is integral part of the U.S. defense supply chain and the strength of our NATO alliance, and will also help replenish reserves that need to be replenished following our unprecedented assistance to Ukraine." According to him, the US Department of Defense in Texas is building three ammunition production lines that were purchased from a Turkish defense company. “By next year, 30 percent of all 155mm (artillery) shells produced in the United States are expected to come from these Texas plants,” he added. While acknowledging some differences between the United States and Turkey, he said, "There are definitely things that the United States and Turkey disagree on. Our approaches to countering ISIS are not always the same, but Turkey is an important member of the anti-ISIS coalition. We will continue to work together on these and other difficult issues to bridge the gap. They did the right thing."