Israel, Turkey mulling joint military storage

Turkey and Israel are discussing a cooperative effort to maintain joint emergency storage of ammunition, military equipment and combat systems. Discussions on the subject have taken place in both Israel and Turkey, between the heads of the technology and logistics departments of the two armies, who will be recommending the idea to their commanders. Thereafter, a recommendation will be submitted to the two governments for approval.

The construction of joint storage facilities is also being discussed.

The talks are considered to be yet another sign of the close cooperation that exists between the two armies.

The Turkish and Israeli military are based exclusively on weapons platforms manufactured in the U.S. The backbone of the Turkish and the Israeli air forces is the F-16 fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Turkey also operates squadrons of F-4 (Phantom) jets, which are now being decommissioned by the Israel Air Force. The ground forces of both armies use American Patton tanks, and both artillery corps are outfitted with similar 155-milimeter cannons.

The proposal under consideration is that if one of the countries is attacked or finds itself embroiled in combat, it can avail itself of supplies stored by the other country. Sources in the Israeli and Turkish military say the joint storage arrangement will make it possible to decrease the amount of munitions kept in the inventory and will save money. It will also lessen dependence on ammunition supplies and other materiel coming from more distant destinations and shorten waiting time, allowing for relatively quick resupply.

It was also noted that the threats to the two countries are different, and therefore the possibility of an attack on both simultaneously is unlikely.

Israeli air force pilots already undergo training in Turkey and Turkish pilots train here. It was recently decided to involve special units of the Israel Defence Forces' ground forces in exercises with the Turkish army.