Why was the Air Base in Incirlik renamed as Main Jet Base Command?

Opened in 1954, the Air Base in Adana's Incirlik region is one of the bases affiliated to the Turkish Air Force Command, together with all the facilities on it belongs to the state of the Republic of Turkey. It is one of the six NATO bases in Europe with tactical nuclear weapons. As of 18 April 2024, the name of this base was changed. The Incirlik base, known as the 10th Tanker Base Command, where the KC-135R Refuelling Aircraft in the Turkish Air Force inventory are stationed, has been renamed as the '10th Main Jet Base Command'. I would like to explain the process leading up to this name change and touch upon the developments from the establishment of this base to the Turkish-American relations.

How was 'Incirlik Air Base', the star of the US Global Base Policy in Turkey, born?

According to the American approach that prevailed during the Cold War, military bases abroad had four functions. These were the positioning of conventional military power in regions deemed important for the US, the construction of infrastructure close to crisis zones to ensure readiness for nuclear war if necessary, the demonstration of the US response to a possible attack against any allied country, and finally, the demonstration of American power in a way that the world would accept American hegemony.

In the post-Cold War period, the role of American bases was to ensure deterrence, to ensure that American and allied soldiers in key regions could continue their combat readiness training activities without interruption, to respond quickly and effectively to crises, to maintain the operational and logistical infrastructure to support power projection, and to maintain the existing capacity to reorganise forces when needed.

As can be seen today in NATO's enlargement process, the inclusion of new members in the organisation played a role in making it easier for the US to expand its military presence. Candidate countries began to host American bases in parallel with their NATO membership process.

In the early 1950s, when Turkey was making efforts to become a member of NATO, the Pentagon considered that the Adana region in southern Turkey was a suitable location for the deployment of American bombers and that it would be an ideal location for one of the bases that could serve US global interests. In addition to its proximity to the centre of the Middle East, the Adana region was also notable for its climatic conditions, which were favourable for flying all year round. The construction of an air base in Adana, which was only 1,600 km away from the 'enemy' Soviets, was calculated to be beneficial in many ways.

In the same period, it was decided to provide many airfields belonging to the Turkish Air Force with infrastructure suitable for jet operations with the American military aid launched as an extension of the Truman Doctrine, which came into effect in 1947. While airfields in cities such as Bandırma, Balıkesir, Diyarbakır, Kayseri, Eskişehir and Afyon were being modernised, it was decided to build an airfield in Incirlik at the suggestion of the American side. Indeed, with the approval of the Turkish Government of the period, the construction of the airfield in Incirlik started on 22 May 1951.

Following its NATO membership on 15 February 1952, Turkey signed the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on 25 August 1952, which was signed by all members. This agreement not only accepted the establishment of military bases and facilities in Turkey by the United States and the deployment of military personnel, but also set out the rules governing their use. Subsequently, numerous American facilities and stations were built on Turkish soil.

During these years, although all of these were called 'American bases' by the Turkish public, they were in fact national military facilities, the ownership and use of which belonged entirely to Turkey. In fact, the agreements made with the USA were limited to providing certain privileges for the use of the facilities and bases in Turkey by the American forces. In this context, the privileges regarding the use of Incirlik Air Base by the Americans were defined in the Military Facilities Treaty signed between the USA and Turkey on 23 June 1954. This treaty preserved the Incirlik base's status as a national base.

As of 6 December 1954, the Turkish Air Force started training activities under the roof of the 'Firing Bombardment School Command' established at this air base. The commander of this school was also assigned as the Incirlik Facility Commander. From these years onwards, the Turkish Air Force squadrons stationed in Konya and Diyarbakir, in particular, continued to transfer to Incirlik from time to time to carry out firing training in line with their combat readiness needs by utilising the infrastructure here. In the following years, during the Cyprus Crises and the 1974 Cyprus Operation, Turkish squadrons were directly deployed to this base. The American presence at the base was in no way an obstacle to the conduct of these operations. However, this base, which was largely used by the American side, started to be known as the 'American Base' among the public. In reality, Turkey had never handed over this base to the Americans. Only privileges of use were granted within the framework of bilateral agreements. Other NATO member countries could also benefit from these concessions in line with bilateral agreements.

Consequently, as a result of Turkey's NATO membership bargain, the Incirlik Base, the construction of which started in Adana in the spring of 1951, became one of the most important air bases in the region for the USA throughout the Cold War period. Factors such as its proximity to the Soviets, its location overlooking the Middle East, its climatic conditions favourable for flights at all times of the year, its road and railway connections, and its proximity to Mersin port, one of the largest ports in Turkey, have always served to make Incirlik strategically important. It was seen as a symbol of American military power in Turkey. Consequently, Incirlik has always had a critical position in US regional calculations. It has fulfilled many functions, from intelligence to training activities, from being a logistics centre to a forward operating base. It has become synonymous with the American military presence in Turkey.

What is the Current Situation at Incirlik?

Today, Incirlik Air Base is one of the 13 largest military bases used by the United States in the world. Approximately 1,500 of the 1,600 American soldiers serving in Turkey are stationed at Incirlik Air Base. The status of Incirlik is that of an air base belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces, allocated for US use under the 1969 Joint Defence Cooperation Agreement (JDCA) and the 1980 Defence Economic Cooperation Agreement (SEIA).

In this context, from the first year the base was allocated to the US, a Turkish Commander, usually in the rank of Colonel, was assigned to the base in order to ensure that military relations with the Americans were conducted on the basis of mutual equivalence, as well as to ensure that Turkey retained control of the base.

In 1994, it was decided to deploy seven KC-135R aerial refuelling tanker aircraft, which had joined the inventory of the Turkish Air Force, at Incirlik. Within this framework, the squadron where these aircraft operate was named as the "101st Aerial Refuelling Tanker Squadron Command". İncirlik Air Base was also named as "10th Tanker Base Command" and connected to the 2nd Tactical Air Force Command, which had its headquarters in Diyarbakır.

On 5 September 2007, at 22.30 hours, aircraft took off from two different military bases in southern Israel, crossed the Mediterranean Sea and the Turkish-Syrian border in a parallel profile (low-altitude) flight, and carried out an air operation against the 'nuclear' facility at al-Qubar, 450 kilometres northeast of Damascus. Meanwhile, the Turkish border was also violated and the empty fuel tanks were dropped (jettisoned) on Turkish territory, probably on a planned return route. Alarmed by this situation, Turkey subsequently took preventive measures against the possibility of a similar violation along the border by deploying F-16s to Oğuzeli in Gaziantep. Subsequently, this mission was made permanent and task forces from Diyarbakır, Malatya (Erhaç) and Incirlik continued to carry out air patrol missions on a rotational basis.

With the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011, the Syrian territory to the south of Turkey turned into a conflict zone for warring parties. In this tense environment, Turkey decided to increase the number of patrol flights in the region in order to increase border security. The Turkish Air Force carried out new military deployments (including radar and air defence systems) close to the border. Meanwhile, on 22 June 2012, an RF-4E Phantom reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the 173rd Squadron, which took off from the 7th Main Jet Base Command in Malatya for the purpose of testing the existing and new radar systems, was shot down by the Syrian side without any warning/warning while flying alone, unarmed and with its identification system switched on over the Mediterranean Sea, 8 miles south of Hatay, 8 miles off Latakia, Syria.

Following this incident, it was decided to deploy Turkish Air Force fighter squadrons alternately at Incirlik and to carry out air patrol missions on a 24/7 basis from Incirlik. In the same period, the Turkish side also changed the rules of engagement regarding the common border area with Syria. It was declared that military vehicles that would enter Turkish territory and territorial waters from Syrian territory without authorisation would be considered as 'enemy' and would be fired upon. As a matter of fact, within the scope of the changed rules of engagement, a Russian Su-24 fighter jet, which entered Turkish territory from Hatay region around 09.20 on 24 November 2015, was shot down by Turkish F-16s with air-to-air missile fire.

Fighter squadrons of the Turkish Air Force continued to operate from Incirlik with temporary assignments. After 15 July 2016, the 152nd Fighter Jet Squadron Command (F-16 squadron) stationed at the 5th Main Jet Base Command/Merzifon was permanently assigned to Incirlik. Thus, along with the 101st Tanker Squadron Command, the 152nd Squadron Command has been stationed in Incirlik since 2016. However, the 'Tanker Base' status of the base was preserved in terms of name.

With the recent change made in the last days, changing the name of Incirlik Base, similar to other bases where jet aircraft are located in the Air Force, was an appropriate and appropriate decision in terms of integrity and common terminology. In fact, this change had already taken place in 2016 with the decision to permanently deploy the 152nd Squadron Command to Incirlik.

In the meantime, it should be noted that The status of an air base is only a conventional nomenclature. From the point of view of the Turkish Air Force, there is no difference between air bases in terms of organisation, equipment and staff planning. Air bases have equivalent status. Commanders are appointed to Air Bases from among Pilot Brigadier Generals. At Incirlik, it has always been ensured that a personnel with the rank of Brigadier General serves as the Commander with temporary assignments after the First Gulf War, and with appointments since 1994. The American side was also represented by a personnel with the rank of Brigadier General. The Turkish and American Brigadier Generals, who serve together at Incirlik Air Base, continue to serve together without any subordination-superiority relationship, within the framework of agreements and job descriptions, in a way to protect the interests of their respective countries.

Conclusion

The name of the 10th Tanker Base Command in Adana İncirlik has been changed to '10th Main Jet Base Command'. In 1989, when I was trained in F-5 aircraft and later in F-16 aircraft as part of aerial refuelling training, I witnessed from afar the changes in the 10th Main Jet Base Command over time with the end of the Cold War. When I last visited this base, which had the appearance of an American air base in 1989, in 2013, I witnessed that it had begun to have the appearance of an almost ordinary Turkish Air Force Main Jet Base. I know that the name change, which was officially made last week, was actually made years ago with the deployment of the 152nd Fighter Jet Squadron Command to this base. In fact, I find it meaningful and accurate that this name change, which should have been made towards the end of 2016, was made, albeit late.

Source

"Incirlik became Main Jet Base: Critical change from MSB", DefenceSanayiST.com, 18 April 2024, https://www.savunmasanayist.com/kirimda-konuslu-s-400-bataryasi-imha-edildi/

Selin M. Bölme. (2012). "İncirlik Üssü, ABD'nin Üs Politikası ve Türkiye", İletişim Yayınları, İstanbul

Hüseyin Fazla. (2022). 1952'den 2023'e NATO and Turkey", Nobel Publications, Ankara

Hüseyin Fazla. "Did Erdoğan's Policies Interrupt Turkish-Israeli Relations?" STRASAM, 19 January 2022 , https://strasam.org/analiz-ve-raporlar/analiz/turk-israil-iliskisini-erdogan-politikalari-mi-kesintiye-ugratti-460