As defence spending and burden-sharing dominate the agenda for the upcoming summit, the country enters the meetings having expanded its defence spending to an estimated 2.3 percent of GDP in 2025, according to NATO’s 2025 annual report.
Türkiye also contributes 6.301 percent of NATO’s common-funded budgets, ranking seventh among the alliance’s 32 members.
According to the Turkish foreign ministry, its overall contribution is projected to reach $342 million (€300 million) in 2026 and $708 million (€620 million) by 2030.
The country also holds a 65 percent share of the global armed drone export market, an increasingly key component of modern warfare.
NATO missions
Turkish troops have participated in numerous NATO operations in recent decades, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following the end of the Cold War, Türkiye expanded its participation in crisis management and peace-support operations, particularly in the Balkans.
In the mid-1990s, Turkish forces became an operational pillar in the region, deploying to the Implementation Force and the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Türkiye remains one of the largest contributors to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), where Turkish Maj. Gen. Ozkan Ulutas commanded the multinational peacekeeping mission in two separate terms between 2023 and 2026.
A major contributor to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021, Türkiye committed thousands of personnel to the International Security Assistance Force and the subsequent Resolute Support Mission following the September 11 attacks.
Related
Turkish forces twice assumed command of the multinational brigade in Kabul, securing key logistical centres and the capital’s international airport.
From 2018 until NATO withdrew its personnel from Baghdad in March 2026, Türkiye served as a major troop and advisory contributor to the NATO Mission in Iraq, assisting in regional anti-terrorism capacity-building.
The country also hosts key alliance infrastructure, including NATO’s Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) headquarters, which was established in Izmir in 2012.
The alliance has also supported Türkiye during times of crisis. Following the devastating February 6, 2023 earthquakes, NATO allies dispatched search-and-rescue teams, medical assistance and temporary shelter, highlighting the alliance’s principle of collective solidarity.
The Ankara summit will mark the second time Türkiye has hosted NATO leaders, after the alliance’s 2004 summit in Istanbul.
