ICYMI: Pappas Leads Bipartisan Call to Condition Reported F-16 Sales to Turkey, Protect U.S. National Security
Over the weekend, Congressman Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, in response to continuedreports of discussions between the United States and Turkey on the sale of F-16s in exchange for Sweden’s accession to NATO, led a bipartisan group of lawmakers demanding any agreement for the sale of F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey include mechanisms that provide for the pause, delay, or snapback of those weapons if Turkey engages in actions that threaten U.S. national security interests or the unity of the NATO alliance.
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “Given Turkey’s history of using American F-16s for overflights in the Aegean and to challenge Greek sovereignty, we request mechanisms that provide for the pause, delay, or snapback of the transfer of American weapons to Turkey if it resumes its destabilizing actions in the Eastern Mediterranean that threaten or undermine U.S. national security interests or NATO security architecture.”
They noted Congress’s previous support for a Pappas-led provision attaching conditions to such a sale, writing, “In the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the House of Representatives passed an amendment which would establish reasonable limitations on the Administration’s ability to transfer F-16 aircraft and F-16 modernization kits to Turkey. This provision passed the House on a bipartisan basis and with 73% of Members voting in favor.”
The lawmakers concluded, “The Administration has an obligation to ensure that U.S.-provided F-16s are not used to undermine U.S. national security interests, stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the NATO alliance.”
The full letter can be read here.
Background:
Pappas has been a consistent advocate for Greece’s sovereignty and holding Turkey accountable for its unprovoked aggression in the region, including opposing the United States selling F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey. In last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Pappas secured a bipartisan provision in the House bill that would stop President Biden from selling F-16s to Turkey and put in place needed Congressional oversight to ensure that Turkey does not use F-16s to violate Greece's sovereignty.