Power cut off at Incirlik Air Base

20.07.2016
Turkey

This was done after the failed coup, but is still a problem for Pentagon, and Ankara has not to date responded to the requests of the US military.

 

US Air Forces blocked

The base was powered-down on Saturday at 7:30 am, and its commander and 11 officers were arrested.

American planes have been forbidden from leaving the territory of the base.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter contacted the Minister of Defense of Turkey on Tuesday and tried to explain the importance of the base for the US military.

CNN also reports that the Pentagon has openly pressured the Turkish government, but they have not received a response from the Turkish side.

 

Significance of the Incirlik base

The base was built in 1952 by US Army Corps of Engineers troops starting with Turkey's accession to NATO.

This is the Eastern-most base of the US Air Force Command in Europe.
The base also hosts the 10th Air Wing (Ana Jet Üs or AJÜ) and the 2nd Air Force Command of Turkey (Hava Kuvvet Komutanlığı).
Also, there is the 39th Air Wing of the United States Air Force. The staff consists of about three thousand people.

On the base are stationed KC-135 aircraft, providing one third of the refueling aircraft involved in raids on Syria and Iraq, reconnaissance aircraft, drones, and A-10 attack aircraft.

At this facility are US nuclear weapons, 50 bombs B-61 also deployed. This is more than a quarter of all nuclear weapons available to NATO's disposal.

The Turkish fighter jet flight that hit a Russian bomber Su-'24 in November 2015 in Syria, was deployed from this base. Those pilots were associated with the conspirators and Fetullahom Gülen, who is hiding in the United States.

Related links
Background of Turkish Coups in a Nutshell
Incirlik
Turkey
US Air Forces