Intel: The Pentagon won’t abandon Turkey despite tensions
Turkey will get two more F-35 joint strike fighters in March 2019, the program’s director Vice Adm. Mat Winter said Monday, despite pressure from Congress to rethink the deal.
Why it matters: The news is a sign that the US-Turkish military relationship remains intact despite rapidly deteriorating diplomatic ties. The Donald Trump administration has sanctioned top officials over the jailing of US pastor Andrew Brunson and slapped new tariffs on Ankara in August. But the Pentagon insists that Turkey remains set to acquire 100 of the fifth-generation stealth fighters.
