What is the new NATO force in Turkey being prepared for?

İbrahim Varlı NATO, established after the Second World War to act as the enforcer of the capitalist-imperialist world, will celebrate its 77th anniversary on 4 April. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), founded in 1949, had three primary objectives. The first was to combat the left (socialism). Linked to this, the second was to act as the guardian of capitalism, and the third was to keep the US’s European allies under control. During this period, the military alliance NATO fulfilled the role expected of it by US-centred Western imperialism in the bloodiest manner possible. It carried out every form of war, conflict and intervention. As Professor İlhan Uzgel put it, “NATO, the most valuable institution of Western capitalism”, continued to expand and strengthen its presence in line with the needs of capitalism, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR). It is precisely for this reason that, despite Macron's claim a few years ago that the alliance had suffered a “brain death”, it has consolidated its role as the world's policeman under Trump's diktats. Now it is being deployed to new battlefronts. •Against whom is the NATO force being deployed? Turkey, one of the North Atlantic Alliance’s most enthusiastic members alongside the US, is currently preparing for a new NATO force. The news, brought to light by journalist Barış Terkoğlu, regarding the establishment of a NATO corps in Turkey has not been sufficiently debated amidst intense domestic and international developments. The Ministry of National Defence was forced to confirm NATO’s new headquarters in Turkey, which had been kept under wraps. The Ministry of Defence is endeavouring to present the new “multinational corps” as a technical-military arrangement within the alliance. However, the situation is not that simple. NATO’s initiative to establish a new headquarters under the name “Multinational Corps Turkey (MNC-TÜR)” cannot be considered independently of the new roadmap and orientations of American imperialism. This “new multinational corps” will have multiple functions. Firstly, to contribute to American imperialism’s transformation of the entire Middle Eastern region, stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Red Sea and from the South Caucasus to the Mediterranean. Secondly, to support the encirclement of Russia, the “age-old” enemy to the north. • What role is being assigned to Turkey under these new circumstances? Although the Ministry of Defence has stated that the idea of establishing a ‘new NATO headquarters’ was initiated by them, the ‘new multinational corps’ is linked to the role assigned to Turkey. Turkey, which forms the Alliance’s south-eastern wing, joined NATO in February 1952. There are currently several NATO bases in the country. In addition to Incirlik and Kürecik, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, İzmir hosts the NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM). 3. The Main Jet Base in Konya is also one of four forward operating bases for NATO AWACS aircraft. The NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Headquarters (3rd Corps Command Headquarters) is located in Istanbul. Turkey is among the top five allies contributing most to NATO operations. The NATO summit, which will bring together all 32 member states, is also due to take place at the Palace in Ankara on 7-8 July. Following Trump’s persistent pressure, Turkey has increased its defence spending to 2.09 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). The Alliance’s threshold for this is 2 per cent. Last year, NATO leaders agreed to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of countries’ total economic output by 2035. It is no secret that political Islamists are pro-US and pro-NATO. They do not even feel the need to hide this. It was Erdoğan who responded to French leader Macron, who claimed that “NATO is brain-dead”, by saying, “First, have your own brain death checked.” •There is a price to pay for legitimacy obtained from Washington! The real question here is: what was gained in return for turning Turkey into NATO’s forward outpost? After all, there must be a price to pay for the ‘legitimacy granted by the Americans’. It will be recalled that Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy to Syria, stated on 24 September in New York that Trump had told them they needed to give Erdoğan what he needed, namely “legitimacy”, adding that “as a result, you will see major changes”. From Palestine to Syria, from Lebanon to Iran and NATO, these consequences continue to manifest themselves step by step. Note: This article is translated from the original article titled T ürkiye’deki yeni NATO ordusu neyin hazırlığı? , published in BirGün newspaper on March 26, 2026.

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