SSB: Continuing Historical Bonds Through Strategic Partnerships

Yulian Ardiansyah - : May 8, 2024 - : 3:44 pm

Turkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries (Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı-SSB), has two main objectives: modernization of Turkish Armed Forces, and establishing&developing a self sufficient Turkish defence industry ecosystem. SSB is also coordinating export activities of Turkish defence industry companies. Given the progressive...

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Given the progressive expansion and sustained presence of Turkish defence companies in Malaysia, as well as in several other countries in the Southeast Asia region, Yulian Ardiansyah from GBP Daily News has been granted an exclusive interview with the Deputy Secretary of Defense Industries, Prof. Ihsan Kaya, during the ongoing DSA 2024 exhibition.

What can you tell me about SSB and its function in the Turkish defence industry?

SSB was established in 1985 with two main objectives: First, modernization of Turkish Armed Forces and other security organizations. The second objective is to take necessary measures and steps in order to develop the Turkish defence industry base, or in other words, to increase the capabilities of the Turkish defence industry companies.

We are the sole governmental procurement authority in defence industry area. We are also responsible for coordinating the export activities of the Turkish defence industry companies. In that regard, SSB gives official support to the companies in their business development and marketing activities. We sign defence industry cooperation agreements with friendly and allied countries, we come together with those countries and hold defence industry cooperation meetings. Besides, we are also coordinating the participation of Turkish companies to the international defence exhibitions.

SSB`s role in Turkish administrative system can be summarized as being the sole procurement authority and due to the increasing importance of defence industry in Turkiye, SSB subordinated directly to the Turkish President in 2018.

Does that mean that SSB is also directly responsible for directing the marketing strategy of Turkish defence companies especially in Southeast Asia?

In general, I can say yes it does. As SSB we are motivating our defence industry companies to generate specific strategies and solutions for the allied countries. The main difference that we believe differentiates us from other countries is our open approach to co-production and technology transfer rather than direct sales.

For example, Adnan Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) platforms of Malaysia: Together with the Malaysian partners, one of our private companies developed and produced the vehicles in-house in Malaysia, by transferring the production technology to the Malaysian counterpart. The same process was conducted also in the production of the AV8 Gempita vehicles.

Likewise in Indonesia, the Harimau medium tank was initiated as a G2G program between SSB and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence in 2014. In this program one prototype was manufactured in Turkiye, and the second prototype was manufactured in Indonesia. After the production of the first batch with 18 vehicles, rest of the Harimau tanks built indigenously in Indonesia using PT PINDAD’s facilities.

These are some of the examples of our philosophy that motivates Turkish defence industry companies to be open to transfer of technology and co-production.

From a broader perspective, we attach utmost importance to the Asia Pacific region. We work to strengthen our cooperation with all brother countries in the region. Based on the strong strategic partnerships in the region, we are eager to open up new pathways in our collaboration.

What are the backgrounds that made SSB take this direction?

In the past, Turkiye used to make direct procurement of the defence industry products and suffered a lot from the non-cooperative approach of supplier countries. For instance; they were not willing to make transfer technology to us. Some of those countries even did not provide logistic support for their own products which made it difficult for us to maintain the equipment. However, today this is not the case for our defence industry cooperation perspective.

About SSB’s role in the defence procurement for the Turkish Armed Forces, especially when one of these partner countries is the one producing it?

Our in house production rate is around eighty percent which means that Turkish Armed Forces’ requirements are mostly met indigenously by Turkish defence companies. Of course, there are still some equipment and subsystems that are procured from outside. In this case, we will give priority to our friendly and allied countries to cooperate.

For example, we’re interested in cooperation with Malaysia in terms of semiconductor manufacturing capability. Another case is Pakistan, we’ve procured 52 Super Mushshak basic trainer aircraft from Pakistan for the Turkish Air Force.

Historically, Turkiye’s defence relations with kingdoms in this region have been very close for centuries. Does this historical background have also influenced SSB’s policies?

Of course. We have very strong historical and cultural ties. Our brotherhood has a longer history dating back to the relations between the Ottoman Empire and sultanates in the region. During the Ottoman era, our fleet - the Ottoman Turkish’ Navy - often visited this region and formed a very close relationship with the royalties, the sultanates, as well as with the people here.

So in modern times, SSB has become something of a continuation of that history?

Yes. Yes. Indeed.