Recent discussions between Turkey and the United States indicate that the Biden administration is actively pursuing Ankara’s reinstatement in the F-35 program.

It is difficult to justify why Washington would want to arm Turkey with these highly advanced fighter jets, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes fervent measures to undermine the core security interests of the United States, NATO, and our transatlantic allies.

Turkey’s eligibility to acquire F-35s was abruptly ended in 2019, in response to Ankara’s insistence on acquiring the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.

Erdogan repeatedly ignored Washington’s warnings that the integration of the Russian system could compromise NATO systems and enable Russia to undermine and steal the F-35s stealth capabilities. Upon delivery of the S-400s, the Trump administration removed Turkey from the F-35 program, and imposed strict sanctions under the provisions of the Countering of America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

Turkey now wants to backtrack from this fateful decision, and has initiated a dialogue with Washington to find a way back into the F-35 program, and Washington is listening.

This is a serious mistake by Washington, and on several fronts.

First, Turkey’s proposed solution to address the S-400 is an insufficient remedy to qualify for receiving a strategic platform that ensures NATO’s competitive edge against adversaries. In late August, Turkish officials reportedly pitched their American counterparts with a plan to permanently warehouse Turkey’s S-400s, but have shown no willingness to completely shut down or transfer the system to American supervision.

More alarmingly, Turkey is not a true believer in the values that define NATO; in fact, President Erdogan presents a clear threat to the objectives and security of the alliance and its members.

In early September 2024, President Erdogan announced his decision to apply to join the non-aligned movement BRICS+. At NATO’s Washington summit in July, he reiterated his desire for Turkey to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Both of these organizations are not only the antitheses of Western economic and security institutions of which Turkey is a member, but also are dedicated to undermining the rules-based order of the free world.

Most recently, Erdogan gave an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in which he boasted about Ankara’s expanding relations with Russia and implied that Ankara stands against Ukraine’s membership bid in NATO.

It is not a far leap to assume that Turkey plans on playing a spoiler role in any attempt by Ukraine to join NATO, just as it did with Finland and Sweden between 2022 and 2023.

Ankara’s hardened anti-Israeli stance makes Washington’s embrace of Turkey even more perplexing. On July 12, at the NATO summit in Washington, Turkey threatened to take steps to exclude Israel from all cooperation with NATO. President Erdogan said that “until comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Turkey.”

Threats to Israel emanating from Ankara are not merely rhetorical.

Erdogan’s Islamist worldview, deeply antisemitic and anti-Israeli, inform his country’s actions. Turkey is the only country in NATO to champion the cause of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization under the laws of the US, EU, and Canada.

Since October 7, 2023, Erdogan has ramped up his provision of diplomatic, logistical, and perhaps even military support to Hamas.

On July 21, 2024, Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, foiled a Hamas terrorist attack orchestrated from Turkey. The Shin Bet captured five terrorists who attested to the military training, weaponry, and cash they acquired in Turkey. Israeli security has repeatedly intercepted weaponry and explosive precursors originating from Turkey that smugglers were attempting to get into Gaza.

At a party conference in Rize, Turkey, on July 28, 2024, Erdogan went as far as to threaten to invade Israel right after a Hezbollah rocket supplied by Iran killed 12 children in the Israeli Druze town of Majdal Shams. Erdogan’s inflammatory rhetoric, coupled with his material support for terrorists, suggests that Ankara may pursue an extremely dangerous escalatory posture in the developing conflict between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran.

Given this track record, it is beyond nonsensical why the Biden administration is entering into a dialogue with Ankara, to explore ways to arm Turkey with the Western alliance’s premier strategic weapons capability. It is irresponsible and dangerous. Washington already authorized the sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Ankara in January 2024, to ensure that the Turkish Air Force could maintain readiness as a NATO ally. It is way too soon to begin discussions about ways Ankara can be equipped with F-35s — even if it removes the S-400s from its military inventory. Such a conversation can only begin once a relationship of trust is established with Turkey.

Turkey cannot join a security alliance with the likes of Russia, Iran, and China while being invited back into the F-35 program. Turkey must also make efforts to disentangle itself from Russia’s wartime economy. The US Treasury Department has already sanctioned dozens of Turkish companies and individuals supporting Putin, and this must come to an end.

Turkey must once again chart a serious path to join the European Union. Turkey must join its allies in taking the highest and most punitive measures to undermine Russia’s illegal war efforts against Ukraine, beginning with joining the sanctions regime against Moscow. It must demonstrate a verifiable track record of not antagonizing other NATO members, such as Greece, and EU countries like Cyprus.

It must apologize for its many years of supporting jihadist terrorist networks in the region, beginning with Hamas, but also the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist militias such as ISIS inside Syria and Iraq. Such entities, which have offices and personnel inside Turkey, must be disestablished, and its operatives extradited to face justice for their crimes. Ankara must disclose and divest itself of all the ways in which it supports such entities.

Finally, any and all discussions about Turkey acquiring US defense programs must begin with Ankara coming into compliance with both the letter and spirit of the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The most advanced American technology is meant to protect American national security and should be shared only with Washington’s most committed allies and partners. Turkey does not meet that standard.

Sinan Ciddi is a nonresident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on X: @SinanCiddi. Sophia Epley is an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

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