Türkiye raises 2027 defense equipment procurement allocations by 229% in budget

Türkiye has raised allocations for weapons, ammunition and other defense equipment purchases by 229% in its 2027 budget, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on Friday. He spoke at a ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara marking the finalization of the central government budget proposal, AA reported. Yeni Şafak English carried the same announcement.

Key numbers

• 229% — increase in allocations for purchases of weapons, ammunition, weapons systems and other defense equipment, per AA and Yeni Şafak English
• 2.206 trillion Turkish liras ($44.5 billion) — proposed total for defense, including other defense expenditures, per AA
• $25.2 billion — separate allocation for internal security, per AA
• $57.5 billion — proposed investment, equal to 10.4% of the 2027 budget, per AA; Yeni Şafak English gave the figure as 57.5 billion liras
• $75.6 billion — education, including higher education, which keeps the largest share of central government spending at 13.7%, per AA
• $17.5 billion — funds to address earthquake damage and strengthen resilience against disasters, per AA

Yilmaz described the procurement items as a large part of the National Defense Ministry's budget. "Allocations for purchases of weapons, ammunition, weapons systems and other defense equipment, which constitute a significant portion of defense spending in the National Defense Ministry's budget, have been increased by 229%," he said, according to both outlets.

AA noted that the 229% increase applies to the procurement allocations Yilmaz identified, not to total defense spending. Yeni Şafak English likewise reported that Yilmaz said the rise covers procurement allocations for the National Defense Ministry rather than total defense spending across all agencies.

Yilmaz said Türkiye had reduced its defense industry's dependence on foreign suppliers over the past quarter-century, and described the developments as a revolution, according to AA. He added that current global conditions showed the importance of the earlier decision to strengthen the domestic defense industry. Yeni Şafak English said he linked the sector's progress to indigenous research and manufacturing.

On investment, Yilmaz said spending would continue across irrigation, railways, maritime transport, oil and natural gas exploration, and mining, AA reported. He said the proposal had been submitted to parliament within the constitutional deadline. He will give further details in a presentation to parliament's Planning and Budget Committee next week, both outlets reported.