Staff Reports
The State Department just sent Congress a clear note: Turkey is not yet eligible to get F‑35 fighters back. That simple sentence should calm anyone who worries that foreign policy is now handled by friendly handshakes at a summit. Laws on the books — not photo ops — still control whether high‑end U.S. jets can leave American custody and touch down in Ankara.
State Department letter: Turkey “has not yet met these conditions” on F-35s
This week the Bureau of Legislative Affairs replied to Representative Wesley Bell and made plain what many lawmakers already feared: Turkey has not met the legal conditions to receive F‑35 aircraft. The letter reiterates that CAATSA and the FY2020 NDAA restrictions, often called Section 1245, are not decorative. They require Turkey to divest its Russian S‑400 systems and provide credible assurances it won’t buy them again. In short, the U.S. can’t just wave away national security rules because two presidents smile for the cameras.
Law first, politics second — exactly how it should be
Some will complain that President Trump signaled he’d “consider” selling F‑35s to Turkey after meeting President Erdogan at NATO. Fine. But moving from friendly talk to handing over stealth fighters requires paperwork, certifications, and verification from the Secretary of State — currently Marco Rubio — and other officials. If those folks don’t sign off, Congress still holds the cards. That matters because the S‑400 is not a trivia question: it’s a Russian radar‑and‑missile package that could compromise F‑35 stealth and U.S. secrets.
What’s at stake: NATO credibility, security, and simple common sense
This isn’t about punishing an ally for something petty. It’s about protecting pilots, protecting technology, and protecting NATO interoperability. Turkey invested money in the program years ago, and yes, that frustration is real. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s flirtation with Russian hardware produced the mess; until Ankara proves its S‑400s are truly gone — not merely auditioning for a resale — delivering F‑35s would be reckless. Congress is right to be skeptical, and the State Department was right to say so plainly.
Bottom line: Don’t trade a defense program for a good photo
Let the diplomatic talks continue. Let Turkey show, on the ground, that the S‑400 problem is solved. Until then, State Department clarity is welcome and necessary. Future headlines about “rejoining the F‑35 program” sound great for soundbites, but national security is not run on soundbites. We should all prefer laws and verification over grand gestures — however photogenic they may be.
