Carney: 'Turkey produces 80 percent of its defense needs domestically, we have much to learn'

Important developments emerged during discussions between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish Defense Industries Presidency (DIP) officials during his visit to Ankara. According to defense industry sources cited by Anadolu Agency, the Carney administration is considering adopting the DIP as a role model and implementing this structure in Canada. During the talks, strengthening Turkish-Canadian cooperation in production, innovation, and technology transfer to a strategic level was identified as a priority objective.

Carney emphasized during his statements at the visit that Turkey produces approximately 80 percent of its defense needs domestically, saying "The situation is different in Canada; we have much to learn." Noting that Canada has a greater need for Turkey's defense industry expertise to protect Canadians, Carney defined Turkey's localization rate exceeding 80 percent as a target policy for his own government.

According to AA reporting, Carney particularly drew attention to Turkey's accumulated innovation in space and aerospace and emphasized that strategic cooperation in this field holds critical importance for strengthening Canada's defense capacity. The DIP's centralization of coordination between the military, public sector, and private sector companies to manage rapid decision-making and needs-fulfillment processes stands out as a model with no equivalent elsewhere in the world.

Previously, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also described the DIP as 'the strategic mind and center of Turkey's defense and aerospace ecosystem'; noting that it not only produces and procures for its own needs but also exports and promotes exports, Kosiniak-Kamysz had said, "This is a model we want to implement in Poland as well."