A report prepared by the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO), titled "The 2026 NATO Ankara Summit and Ankara Industry’s New Position: From Ownership to Capacity," examines the impact of the anticipated transformation in NATO’s production and supply structure on Ankara’s industrial sector.
The report assesses the high-value supply and investment figures announced at the summit, the share Ankara’s industrial sector could secure from this process, and the steps companies need to take to prepare for the new period. The study also includes a roadmap for ASO members and emphasizes that the summit’s lasting impact should be assessed not only through its financial scale but also through the transformation of defense production and supply structures.
Supply planning worth more than $50 billion
The report says that new supply planning worth more than $50 billion was announced at the summit. It explains that this amount does not represent a common NATO budget but consists of the combined national supply announcements of allied countries.
The report says NATO’s new industrial strategy will make existing production capacity and areas of demand more visible, and that this structure could create new opportunities for companies to join international supply chains.
The “from ownership to capacity” approach
The study emphasizes that owning a factory alone will not be sufficient in the new period and that access to documented production capacity through production networks will also become a strategic option. The report summarizes this approach with the phrase “from ownership to capacity.”
The report says Ankara’s strong production and technology infrastructure creates opportunities not only for the defense industry but also for companies operating in other sectors whose production capacity can be adapted.
Opportunities extend beyond the defense industry
The report says NATO’s new production approach is not open only to companies already operating in the defense industry. Industrial organizations that do not have an original defense product but possess documented production capacity, machinery infrastructure and technical capabilities could also join the system.
The report says NATO’s approach of rapidly increasing production during periods of crisis could also create a new area for civilian industry. Companies operating in food processing, automotive components, plastics, chemicals, rubber and packaging could become part of this structure by adapting their production capacities to different needs.
Warning to companies on competition and the value chain
The report says making production capacity visible in international systems could give companies in Ankara access to new customers, while also increasing competition with production centers in Türkiye and abroad that have similar capabilities.
For this reason, the report emphasizes that companies should focus not only on order volumes but also on their position in the value chain. It warns that companies offering only production capacity without developing their design, intellectual property, customer relations and technological learning capabilities could remain easily replaceable subcontractors despite an increase in turnover.
ASO aims for strategic partnerships
ASO President Seyit Ardıç said Ankara’s strength in the defense industry rests not only on major companies but also on a broad production infrastructure. Ardıç said five Turkish companies among the world’s 100 largest defense industry companies are ASO members and that many small and medium-sized enterprises are part of the defense industry’s supply chain through their production and engineering capabilities.
Ardıç said Ankara’s production strength must be moved to a stronger position in international value chains, adding: "Our strength lies on the shop floor; the area we need to develop is this strength’s position in the value chain. Ankara has strong production capacity, but the share it secures remains behind what it produces."
Ardıç said it was not enough for companies to become visible in international systems and that they should not act on the assumption that certification alone would bring business. He said certification was a condition for avoiding elimination in competition but not a guarantee of being selected, adding that new production networks offered significant opportunities for Ankara’s industrial sector.
ASO President Ardıç said their main goal was to help companies in Ankara move beyond being capacity providers and become strategic business partners. He said companies should document their production capacity and machinery infrastructure in a way that makes them visible in international supply chains, and then focus on the capabilities that would make them preferred and indispensable.
