Main Indicator of Independence: Defense and Defense Industry
At the forefront of the independence indicators of the countries is their external dependence on defense and defense industry.2 The independence claim of a country of which defense is dependent on foreign countries cannot go beyond a vein hope.
It is as clear as daylight that the West, which caused the world to suffer two great World Wars, waged the undeclared World War III in the Middle East and Africa, especially in lands whose people are Muslims. Waiting for the UN to stop the bloodshed in these lands is something equal to waiting for the wolf to have mercy on the lamb. Finally, the Islamic World realized that salvation can only be from itself, and on 14 December 2015, Saudi Arabia announced the "Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism".3 It has been announced that 34 countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen have joined this alliance.
The exercise called North Thunder, which started on February 27, 2016 in Saudi Arabia with the participation of 20 countries included in the alliance, ended with a ceremony on March 10, 2016. The exercise, in which 200,000 soldiers from 20 countries participated, all the world came in out of the cold. The echoes of the Exercise North Thunder seem to continue for a long time. The official media channel of the exercise درع الوطن / Dira Alwatan / Homeland Shield broadcasted the exercise footage on Youtube.4
In order to fully implement the great importance of this initiative, which was started by Islamic countries in the field of defense, it is necessary to develop independent systems in the defense industry as well.
Storm Howitzers used by the Turkish Armed Forces against the PYD and DAESH in the past months and the KORAL - Mobile Electronic Warfare System developed by ASELSAN have been a milestone in the Syria policies of the USA and Russia.
Considering that the KORAL5 system is produced by ASELSAN together with 50 subcontractors, we can realize that our Presidency of Defense Industry encourages the production of the Turkish Defense Industry companies in a very strategic way to support the growth of the sector.
How can the Presidency of Defense Industry Department of Industrialization,6 one of the tasks of which is to “ensure the development of sub-industry and SMEs in the defense industry”, can be further paved in this area?
I think the Presidency of Defense Industry International Relations Department has already noticed the balances that the “Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism” has changed around the world and has already started working...
Joint Defense Industry!
In order to contribute to the studies on this subject, I think it is beneficial to mention the project that we are working on.
The way to achieve world peace is through the formation of the balance of power. The current balance has been moving against the Middle East and Africa region, where Islamic countries are located, for more than a century. The formation of the "Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism" has formed an initiative that will enable Islamic countries to return to their origins by upsetting the current balances.
It is very flattering to see that ASSAM's work on Defense and Defense Industry Alliance,7 one of the Strategic Research topics, has started to come to life today…8
ASSAM published its studies on this subject in 2014 with its report titled “How will Peace be Established in the Islamic World?” in order to solve the crises in the region.9
Within the same context, seminars on the Islamic World at the Target of the Global Attack10 were held. The Rapid Reaction Force,11 which is the subsidiary of the Crisis Management Center proposed by ASSAM, has been implemented today with the Exercise North Thunder, which is a work of the “Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism”.
In addition, it is important that the Defense Industry Alliance, which is one of ASSAM's concepts, should be implemented without any delay.12
Since the Defense Industry is one of the most private issues of countries, one of the biggest obstacles to companies that want to operate in the defense industry is the inadequacy of market needs analysis (for SMEs).
If market needs analysis - needs inventory - and SME production capabilities inventory are carried out by a higher institution, resources can be utilized with maximum efficiency.
Namely, it is necessary to form a defense industry inventory that includes the features of brand, model, production year (version), quantity, maintenance, repair, renewal, modernization needs of equipment and systems, as well as spare parts, consumables and ammunition consumption, used by 34 countries that are included in the Islamic alliance and even 60 Islamic countries registered to the UN. A similar system is used by NATO. NATO member countries can organize online tenders for their needs through this system; manufacturers can become members of this system by meeting certain criteria and exhibit their production to the armed forces of member countries and submit bids to tenders. Even if all kinds of defense industry products are produced by different manufacturers within the scope of NATO standardization, it becomes easier to take their place in the market with the common NATO stock codification.
60 Islamic countries meet almost all of their defense industry needs from western countries. If we consider that each of them has an average of 100 combat aircrafts (only Turkey has around 1100 combat aircrafts), we are talking about 6000 combat aircrafts, and if we assume that there are 1000 tanks in each, we are talking about 60,000 tanks. When we take into account the spare parts and consumables of all these combat equipment, you can understand that it is an unbelievably large market.
It should be ensured that these countries transfer the defense industry needs inventory of their armed forces and internal security organization to the online database to be formed by the Alliance of which they are members, through their defense ministries or the Presidencies of Defense Industry.
Standards should be established for each tool, equipment, weapon, ammunition, spare parts and consumables, and services such as technical works, maintenance, repair and consultancy, and classification and codification should be formed for them.
In parallel, the defense industry service and goods manufacturers of the same countries must also register in the same database with the approval of the relevant presidency or ministry, by providing the requirements and qualifications, and transfer all their productions to the database and transfer their capabilities to the inventory.
Today, similar systems are used very successfully in ordering flowers over the internet, even in automobile and real estate sales.
Without wasting any time, the member countries of the Islamic Alliance should establish this system among themselves. Thus, the international balance of power will be a little more balanced in their favor.
References
1) MOD smooths the way for companies to do business with Defence, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mod-smooths-the-way-for-companies-to-do-business-with-defence
2) Defense Industry Production Development Strategy, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/konular/savunma-ve-savunma-sanayi/savunma-sanayi-isbirligi/savunma-sanayi-uretimini-gelistirme-stratejisi-4-mayis-2014.html
3) Joint statement on formation of Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/sites/mofaen/ServicesAndInformation/news/GovernmentNews/Pages/ArticleID201512159481880.aspx
4) Dira Alwatan | درع الوطن, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHtcronkxfkNfrbqcS6yUKg
5) Delivery of KORAL by ASELSAN, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.aselsan.com.tr/tr-tr/basin-odasi/haberler/Sayfalar/koral_teslimati.aspx
6) Department of Industrialization, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.ssm.gov.tr/anasayfa/kurumsal/Sayfalar/DB_Sanayi.html
7) Defense Alliance, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/konular/savunma-ve-savunma-sanayi/savunma-ittifaki.html
8) ASSAM's Conception of Islamic Union Comes True, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/haberler/haberler/assam-in-islam-birligi-tasavvuru-gerceklesiyor.html
9) How will Peace be Established in the Islamic World?, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/konular/ortaklik-mevzuati/ortak-parlamento/islam-dunyasina-huzur-nasil-gelecek.html
10) The Islamic World at the Target of the Global Attack, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/haberler/haberler/kuresel-saldirinin-hedefindeki-islam-dunyasi.html
11) Peacekeeping Force, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/konular/savunma-ve-savunma-sanayi/baris-gucu.html
12) Defense Industry Cooperation, Last Accessed on 20 March 2016,
http://www.assam.org.tr/konular/savunma-ve-savunma-sanayi/savunma-sanayi-isbirligi.html
