Sector Focus: Defense
Panel #1: Building Robust Security Cooperation
Shifting dynamics in the global security environment make defense cooperation among friends and allies a necessity rather than a luxury. The two largest defense establishments in NATO, the United States and Turkiye, have unique credibility and capacity to address emerging threats. This panel will explore how traditional bilateral security cooperation can expand into partnership and multilateral frameworks to enhance resilience,. By leveraging strategic partnerships, both nations can contribute to a more coordinated and effective global security architecture - and a stronger Alliance. Discussions will also highlight the role of regional defense initiatives in fostering long-term stability.
Panel #2: Re-Connecting two Industrial Bases for Operational Readiness
The past decade has seen a chill in US-Turkish defense industrial cooperation, stalling and in some cases reversing mutually beneficial partnerships and projects. The reasons, and remedies, are complex - but it is clearly time for re-assessment and adaptation to realities of a new era, one marked by peer-level military threats to the Western alliance and marked shortcomings in individual countries to meet production goals on their own. This panel will examine current dynamics, costs, and opportunities from strategic and business perspectives.