Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) spearheaded a bipartisan letter to the State Department urging them to reject the Republic of Turkey's (Turkiye) readmission into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, citing their friendliness to Russia.
The Joint Strike Fighter program is an international partnership between the United States and several countries to develop, test, produce, and sell fighter jets such as the F-35, of which Turkey was an original member.
In 2019, the Turks under President Tayyip Erdogan purchased the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which prompted President Donald Trump to boot them from the Joint Strike Fighter program and place Turkey under economic sanctions through the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)
However, during a recent United Nations summit in The Hague, Erdogan floated the possibility of being readmitted into the program.
As a result, Rep. Bilirakis urged against reconsideration in his letter, saying, "Lifting sanctions or allowing Turkey back into the F-35 program without first removing its S-400s would jeopardize the integrity of F-35 systems; expose U.S. military secrets to Russian intelligence; undermine our defense industrial base and allied confidence in purchasing future U.S. platforms; and disrupt development of the next-generation fighter jet recently announced by the Administration."
"This is not a partisan issue," Rep. Bilirakis continued, "Congress has consistently supported CAATSA sanctions and Turkey's removal from the F-35 program across multiple administrations and with bipartisan support. We urge the Administration to uphold U.S. law, maintain CAATSA sanctions, and protect American defense and intelligence assets. We must continue to hold allies and adversaries alike accountable when their actions threaten U.S. interests."
The Florida Congressman has long warned of Turkey's belligerence despite it being a NATO member, as Turkey has acted aggressively against Greece, Cyprus, and the Kurds while also strengthening ties with Russia, China, and Iran, further sympathizing with Hamas.
As a result, Bilirakis urged for the diplomatic redesignation of Turkey as a Middle Eastern country rather than a Eurasian one in March.
More recently, in July, he advocated for the lifting of the arms embargo placed on Cyprus, as the breakaway government in the island's north has received Turkish military backing, which the official, internationally recognized, ethnically Greek-held government has called "illegal."
