Türkiye and Greece Join Germany's European Missile Defense Shield Initiative.

Türkiye and Greece, both NATO members and possessors of Russian air defense systems, have recently joined the European missile defense shield initiative led by Germany. Announced on February 15 by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, this membership marks a step towards strengthening European defense under the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) launched in October 2022.
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The ground-based air defense system IRIS-T SLM is a part of the ESSI missile defense project.  (Picture source: Diehl)

The ESSI missile defense project aims to develop a multilayer air defense system for Europe, incorporating the IRIS-T SLM from Diehl Defense, the Israeli-American Arrow-3, and the American Patriot PAC-3 system. With the recent addition of Turkey and Greece, the number of participating countries has now risen to 21, including non-NATO nations such as Switzerland and Austria. However, the preference for the Patriot PAC-3 system over the Franco-Italian SAMP/T has led France and Italy to distance themselves from the project for the time being.

ESSI has garnered the participation of several European countries, including states not members of NATO, like Austria. Austria has expressed its intention to join the initiative to better protect itself against the risks of drone or missile attacks, a concern heightened by the war in Ukraine. The Austrian Chancellor emphasized the need to address a significantly worsened threat while stating that joining ESSI would not question Austria's neutrality.

Therefore, the ESSI project is a response to a perceived need for more integrated and NATO-interoperable European defense, despite some differences within Europe on how best to achieve this goal. Speed and efficiency appear to be the main drivers behind Germany's decision to proceed with already developed and available systems, rather than waiting for the development of European solutions that might take more time.

Historically, Greece acquired S-300 systems initially intended for Cyprus but redirected following Turkish pressure. These systems remain operational in Greece, which has also been authorized to purchase 40 F-35A American fighters. Turkey, on the other hand, opted to purchase Russian S-400s, leading to its exclusion from the F-35 program by the United States. However, a recent turnaround allows Ankara to consider buying F-16 Vipers, following its facilitative role in Sweden's NATO accession.

Türkiye's participation in ESSI is seen as a step towards better integration with NATO standards and could potentially pave the way for reintegration into the F-35 program, highlighting the importance of interoperability among allies, as mentioned by Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler. This initiative thus represents a significant advance in the consolidation of European air defense and military cooperation within NATO.