Turkey plans to increase defense spending by 229% over three years — Jerusalem Post
Turkey plans to increase defense spending by 229% over the next three years. Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz announced this during the presentation of the country’s new Medium-Term Program for 2027–2029, the Jerusalem Post reports.
According to Yilmaz, the goal is to develop domestic technologies and manufacture high-value-added defense industry products. The increase in defense spending will be the largest among the program’s seven priority areas.
Priorities of the medium-term program
Spending on social housing is planned to increase by 150%, on geological exploration in the mining industry by 139%. Expenditure on industrial infrastructure is expected to rise by 54%, on railways by 49%, on healthcare by 43%, and on food security by 42%.
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Turkish outlet Envanter Medya, which tracks the development of military technologies, noted that the additional funding could support major defense projects. These include serial production of the TF-KAAN fighter jet, the first deliveries of the KIZILELMA unmanned combat aircraft, and the transfer of more than 10 ALTAY tanks to the Land Forces.
Current military spending
Yilmaz also said that economic, technological, and geopolitical developments have reduced the predictability of the global economy and increased risks. According to him, the war with Iran has direct and indirect consequences, including for energy and commodity prices, global trade, inflation expectations, and growth forecasts.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Turkey’s military expenditure amounted to $30 billion in 2025. This placed the country 18th in the world in terms of such spending. Compared with the previous year, it increased by 7.2%; SIPRI linked this to operations in Iraq, Somalia, and Syria, as well as investments in the domestic defense industry.
