US CONGRESS SHOULD WEIGH IMPORTANCE OF INCIRLIK BASE
By Lale Sariibrahimoglu
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Se pt 6 2007
Since the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ýncirlik Air Base in
southern Turkey and the nearby Ýskenderun port have become increasing
vital for US forces as locations from where they have been meeting
their vital needs, varying from stockpiling arms and other goods
required for a warring nation to using them as a cargo hub.
The US is still trying to normalize its relations with Turkey after
the rejection of a March 1, 2003 decree by Parliament that would have
allowed US forces to use Turkish soil for their war in Iraq.
Similarly Turkey has also been attempting to normalize ties with
its close ally as the July 4, 2003 arrest of Turkish officers by
US forces in northern Iraq has continued to humiliate many Turks,
be it right or wrong.
According to a Western source, while the US is desperate to rebuild
its relations with Turkey, the Bush administration has been worried
about the possible adoption of an Armenian genocide bill by the
Democrat-controlled Congress in the coming months.
Turkey has denied the definition of the World War I events as genocide
but has been left little room for maneuvering, mainly because of its
longtime negligence of pursuing policies to reverse the belief around
the world that the events were in fact genocide.
The Bush administration, understood to have a limited effect in
changing the opinions of Congress, is now seeking to limit the possible
damage of the genocide bill for relations between the two nations.
US concern to limit possible harm derives mainly from the importance
of Ýncirlik and Ýskenderun for its forces in nearby Iraq. For the
US, Ýncirlik is outside the theater, making it safe. Furthermore,
it is large and discreet in the sense that it provides a quiet way
of doing business.
The US also has a very large presence at Ýncirlik and Ýskenderun,
with around 5,000 men in total, including some engineers and workers.
US C-17 cargo planes have been flying in and out of Ýncirlik carrying
military equipment to Iraq while using the base as a depot for various
goods to be carried to the region.
Remarks made by an aerial port operations officer with the 728th
Air Mobility Squadron, Capt. James Burnham, at Ýncirlik on Nov. 14,
2006, in the US Air Force Print News (AFPN) explain how vital Turkish
facilities are for the US in its war in Iraq: "By flying critical
supplies via C-17 Globemaster III from this eastern Turkey airbase
directly to service members at remote locations in Iraq, more than
3,300 convoy truck missions are taken off the Iraqi roads each month."
"During around-the-clock operations at the Cargo Hub here (Ýncirlik),
supplies such as essential add-on humvee equipment or repair parts
and medical supplies are examples of critically needed items that
are loaded onto C-17s destined for Iraq," said 2nd Lt. Ryan Randall,
the officer in charge at the Air Terminal Operations Center. (Michael
Tolzmann, AFPN, Nov. 14, 2006, Ýncirlik Air Base, Turkey)
Close to 60 percent of all air cargo destined for Iraq passes through
Ýncirlik Air Base, said Col. Tip Stinnette, commander of the 39th Air
Base Wing. "Ýncirlik is a strategic center of gravity for the US and
Turkey in this region," Colonel Stinnette remarked. (Ibid)
"The greatest accomplishment of this airlift hub is that every time
we fly a sortie, we keep a convoy of trucks and drivers off of the
dangerous roads of Iraq," said Col. Mike Cassidy, the 385th Air
Expeditionary Group commander. Since the inception of the Cargo Hub
mission in June of 2005, more than 103,000 tons of cargo has moved
through Ýncirlik, reported the AFPN.
No matter who says what, the US officers’ explanations of the vitality
of Ýncirlik are themselves proof to justify the US administration’s
concern over the adoption of the genocide bill.
Another reason the US has been trying to pursue a policy of damage
control is that a possible adoption of the bill could impact relations
with Turkey — among the leading nations in terms of US defense sales.
It is also true that the US has been vigorously lobbying the
European Union to allow Turkey to come closer to this democratic club
of nations, but current realpolitik dictates that the US attitude
controls the potential harm from the bill. Those immediate relations
influence a current focus on not jeopardizing US usage of Ýncirlik
and Ýskenderun or threatening defense sales.
I think the US Congress, for the sake of its country’s national
interest, should also weigh up the importance for the US of its
Turkish facilities and forget about adopting the bill.
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