German, Dutch, Turkish and American officials from NATO in Brussels visit Patriot deployments

  • 01 Mar. 2013 - 02 Mar. 2013
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  • Last updated: 05 Mar. 2013 09:40

A multinational delegation from NATO Headquarters in Brussels, with senior officials from Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United States, visited the three deployed Patriot sites in Turkey over the weekend to see first-hand how these Allied units are helping to reinforce Turkey’s air defences against the threat of Syrian ballistic missiles.

The eleven allied officials arrived in Adana, in Southern Turkey, on Friday March 1 where they were given an extended tour of the Dutch Patriot unit, including its command centre and a missile battery. The Dutch Military Representative to NATO, Lieutenant-General Frederik Meulman, thanked the Turkish authorities present for the high level of host nation support received thus far and congratulated the Dutch Patriot Commander for the dedication of his troops. “You have all done a tremendous job at deploying quickly and supporting this mission with dedication,” said General Meulman.

The delegation also had time to engage with the troops and learn more about this defensive deployment whose aim is to augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border.

On Saturday March 2, the delegation moved to the German Patriot batteries located in the city of Kahramanmaras. The German Patriot Commander briefed the visitors on how the batteries were connected to NATO’s command and control network and Turkey’s air defence system.

Later in the day the group visited the US Patriot batteries located in Gaziantep. They were briefed by the detachment commander and were also given the opportunity to thank the troops for their professionalism and vigilance.