A group of 40 American lawmakers, led by four Greek American Congress members – Chris Pappas (New Hampshire), Gus Bilirakis (Florida), Dina Titus (Nevada), and Nicole Malliotakis (New York) – called on the State Department to reject any potential reintegration of Turkey into the F-35 fighter jet program.
The four Greek Americans, serving as chairs and vice-chairs of the Hellenic Caucus in Congress, led the bipartisan initiative, emphasizing the security risk posed by Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft system in Turkey to the F-35’s technological data security.
What lawmakers state in their letter to the State Department
“Lifting sanctions or reintegrating Turkey into the F-35 program without prior removal of the S-400 would jeopardize the integrity of F-35 systems, expose American military secrets to Russian intelligence services, and undermine allied confidence in purchasing future American defense systems,” the lawmakers state in their letter to the State Department.
Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 under the Trump administration due to its S-400 purchase, and remains under sanctions under the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) framework.
“This is not a partisan issue,” the legislators emphasize. “Congress has consistently supported CAATSA sanctions and Turkey’s expulsion from the F-35 program, regardless of administration. We call on the government to uphold the law, maintain sanctions, and protect American defense and intelligence interests.”
The letter concludes with a clear warning: “We stand firmly with our military, our defense industry, and US leadership in global aerospace and defense – and we call on you to do the same.”
