General Staff can no longer veto MT, police weapons purchases

[Babur Han]

General Staff can no longer veto MİT, police weapons purchases


A decree carrying the force of law has blocked the authority of the General Staff to veto weapons purchases by the National Intelligence Organization and the National Police Department.



A decree carrying the force of law has blocked the authority of the General Staff to veto weapons purchases by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the National Police Department.

The recently issued decree over the use of the Turkish Defense Industry Support Fund (SSDF) -- an extra-budgetary resource for defense -- by MİT and the police has resulted in positive steps towards demilitarization. After the decree is issued, civilian authorities will be able to make decisions over how the $6 billion SSDF budget is used to fund MİT and police purchases.

Decisions over SSDF funds are normally made at Defense Industry Implementation Committee (SSİK) meetings, where the prime minister and chief of General Staff make the final decision. As the decree carries the force of a law issued by the government, purchases by MİT and the police will no longer be presented to the SSİK for discussion, meaning the General Staff will not have the right to veto budgetary decisions. With a clause added to the law affecting the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), the arsenal requirements of MİT and the National Police Department will be subject to confirmation by the defense minister and approval by the prime minister. The final shape of the SSDF regulation will be confirmed by the Cabinet.

Following the postmodern coup of Feb. 28, 1997, heavy weapons owned by the National Police Department were handed over to the General Staff. Additionally, in 2010 a draft law which gave MİT and the National Police Department the authority to import heavy weapons was rejected following appeals from the military and public.

General Staff can no longer veto M