Türkiye’s intelligence chief said on Tuesday that strong partnerships and relations based on equality are critical for NATO as the world faces uncertainty, polarization and fragmentation at the same time.
Ibrahim Kalin, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), spoke at the “Allies in Ankara” program held at Ankara Palas on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, according to security sources.
The event was organized by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, the Munich Security Conference and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA).
Kalin said security can no longer be defined solely as a military concept, adding that the NATO alliance must adapt to this “new reality.”
“This also places a responsibility on all of us to contribute to the strategic security environment,” he said.
He said the world is experiencing uncertainty, strategic competition, polarization and fragmentation simultaneously, while security, threats and identities have evolved into hybrid forms.
“Traditional definitions such as nations, borders and states have become hybrid and multidimensional, and this requires a reassessment of the definitions of the state, individuals, societies and security alliances,” Kalin said.
He underlined that strong partnership and equal relations within the alliance are “critical,” noting that a lack of consistency and equality among member states has become one of NATO’s internal criticisms in recent decades.
Kalin said the concept of collective security within NATO is based on the idea that “none of us are safe unless everyone is safe.”
“That is why the text of the alliance says that if one member state is under threat or faces an attack, all members are expected to respond. But this has not always been implemented,” he said.
Complementarity key element of alliance
Kalin said strategic resilience and preventive diplomacy are important elements in the current security environment, defining resilience as having sufficient depth and resources to deal with security challenges.
Stressing the importance of capacity sharing within the alliance, he said: “No member country can possess all the capabilities in the world, so sharing is important. Complementarity is an important element of the alliance. Therefore, a strategic alliance is a collective concept.”
He said every member seeks to maintain its own strategic sovereignty, independence and resilience, but such capabilities become meaningful when combined.
“That is why intra-alliance security programs and defense industry programs are extremely important, but again they must be based on the concept of shared responsibility,” he added.
Kalin said industrial capacities in the defense sector should be shared, adding that deterrence resulting from such cooperation can help develop preventive capabilities.
“Deterrence essentially means having sufficient capability to prevent any rival or threat before it begins to emerge,” he said.
Uncertainty does not necessarily mean chaos
Kalin warned that if the strategic security environment is not kept reliable and healthy, conflicts and wars become inevitable, stressing the importance of NATO making “collective strategic security investments.”
He said a balance must be established between unity and diversity.
“Uncertainty is a feature of our time, but uncertainty does not necessarily mean chaos. Uncertainty may give you the opportunity to think on multiple levels. Uncertainty may force you to make plan A, plan B and plan C,” he said.
“If plan A does not work, you have to change plan B. I think this makes all of us more resilient,” he added.
Türkiye’s role in NATO
Kalin said he does not believe NATO has a center beyond its headquarters in Brussels, adding that Türkiye holds a strong position in the alliance when measured by power, troop numbers, capacity and industrial contribution.
He said Türkiye has one of the world’s largest and strongest defense industries and has risen to a highly significant position as the country with NATO’s second-largest army.
Türkiye is also able to engage with different regions, including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Black Sea, Russia and Africa, he added.
Kalin said Türkiye is often described in international literature as NATO’s “southern flank,” a label he said is geographically correct but politically insufficient.
“Do we call the United Kingdom NATO’s northern flank country? No, we do not. It is incomprehensible that Türkiye is constantly defined as NATO’s southern flank country,” he said.
“NATO has one center, and that is in Brussels. Apart from that, we do not find it correct to define a center-periphery relationship. We do not accept the establishment of hierarchies among allies in NATO. We base cooperation on equal relations,” he added.
NATO Ankara summit
The two-day Ankara summit, hosted by Türkiye, began on Tuesday with leaders from NATO’s 32 member states, several partners from the Asia-Pacific region and invited guests, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Leaders first gathered at NATO’s most comprehensive Defense Industry Forum to date. The summit’s main agenda items will be discussed in sessions on Wednesday.
The summit is expected to highlight allied unity and solidarity despite recent tensions in transatlantic relations. Key issues include building the “NATO 3.0” vision, under which Europe is expected to take a leading role in conventional defense while the US reassesses its military presence in Europe.
The future of support for Ukraine is also expected to be discussed, along with commitments by allies to increase defense spending and expand defense industry production capacity.
The NATO Ankara summit also stands out as the NATO summit with the highest level of international media participation.
