Source: Defense News
By: Burak Ege Bekdil
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 9 announced his new Cabinet, appointing the head of the Turkish military as the new defense minister.
This is the first time a civilian government in Turkey has picked an active-duty military commander as defense minister.
Army Gen. Hulusi Akar will take over from Nurettin Canikli.
Some of the top dossiers Akar will have to deal with immediately include a potential U.S. arms embargo on Turkey, including deliveries of the multinational stealth fighter F-35; deployment of the Russian-made S-400 air-defense and anti-missile systems on Turkish soil, a first time for a NATO ally; development of the TF-X, Turkey’s first indigenous fighter jet; the serial production of the Altay, Turkey’s first indigenous new-generation main battle tank; and scores of other procurement programs.
Image sourced: Turkish Time
Read more at: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/07/09/erdogan-appoints-active-duty-military-commander-as-turkeys-defense-minister/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com