The NATO leaders’ summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, next week comes at a time when the bloc is facing perhaps the most transformational security environment since the end of the Cold War. From the Russia-Ukraine war to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and from great power rivalry to immigration and terrorism, the alliance’s cohesion is being challenged.

"The Euro-Atlantic security is at a historic turning point. Threats such as war, crisis, terrorism and irregular migration, particularly along the eastern and southeastern borders of our alliance, necessitate a reshaping of our understanding of security. As old patterns and premises crumble one by one, it is still unknown what will replace them, or what will supplant them. We are in the midst of a period of uncertainty where tension is escalating instead of stability, chaos instead of order, predictability is decreasing, and no one can know what they will face in the morning,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday in a speech he delivered in honor of NATO parliamentary speakers in Istanbul.

Erdoğan’s assessments point to several issues relating to the core of the NATO bloc and, in fact, the international community as a whole. The international order fails to provide solutions to the crises at the door, and its inability to take preventive steps produces new crises. In other words, the outdated security policies designed to tackle the problems of the Western world cannot effectively handle the intertwined nature of new security challenges from cyber and space security to energy to even security challenges emerging from climate change. In addition, disunity and fragmentation have become a strong challenge within NATO. As such, the summit next week will be more critically focused on both the unity of the alliance and the management of these new forms of security challenges and crises of the international institutions. In a way, while the Hague summit was focusing on the commitments needed to reshape NATO’s vision, the Ankara summit will focus more on the delivery of the commitments that are urgently needed to keep the alliance together and effectively functioning.

The location of the summit critically points to Türkiye as a significant member of the alliance, highlighting that the summit will be more than merely symbolic.

Since joining the alliance in 1952, Türkiye has been one of the most committed members and has maintained one of NATO's largest and most capable armed forces. Ankara has consistently contributed to the bloc’s operations from the Balkans to Afghanistan and shouldered significant responsibilities along the alliance's southern flank.

"As Türkiye, we are one of the countries that best grasps the spirit of the new era. Sharing a land border of over 1,800 kilometers with crisis regions, Türkiye, with its powerful military, modern military capabilities and advanced defense industry, has been at the forefront of allies contributing to NATO's security for over 70 years. We actively take part in NATO missions and support the preservation of peace and stability. We share our exceptional ability to manage regional crises, as well as our extensive experience within NATO, with our allies,” Erdoğan rightfully highlighted during his speech.

Of course, Türkiye's significance for the alliance has grown beyond simply having a large number of troops, especially in the past two decades. While Türkiye’s location has always been one of its greatest strategic assets, its proximity to conflict zones stretching from Syria and Iraq to the Caucasus has also been a challenge, with some of the world's most volatile regions along its borders. Türkiye’s geopolitical location has led the country to not only boost its military and defense capabilities but also to strengthen its diplomatic muscle as well. Perhaps Türkiye is the only country that has been able to engage simultaneously with Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East – from mediation efforts in the Ukraine and Russia conflict to conducting diplomacy involving the Gulf, Iran and broader Middle Eastern affairs. Of course, this strength is not a function that solely strengthens Ankara. Importantly, this strength and power in both the field and in diplomacy make Ankara an essential NATO partner, especially at a time when communication channels remain critical for de-escalation in regional tensions that could easily turn into international and wider crises.

Another area where Türkiye has become ever more crucial is counterterrorism. For decades, the country has faced simultaneous threats from the PKK, Daesh and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) terrorist groups, gaining unmatched operational experience. Here, it is important to highlight that NATO has failed to address Türkiye’s security concerns and give them strategic priority despite the threats Türkiye faced for many decades.

"Our main expectation from the summit is that the outcomes will strengthen the solidarity and unity of the alliance, taking into account the national security concerns of the allies. As the leader of a country that has successfully fought terrorism for many years and is now working to completely end it, I also would like to state that we have high expectations from the alliance in this area,” Erdoğan said. His position highlights both the disappointments faced in previous years and a call to member states to see Türkiye’s capabilities and importance for the bloc’s southeastern flank.

Indeed, another highlight of the summit will be the transformation in Ankara’s approach to the defense industry in the past two decades. The game-changing defense products and growing investment in the defense industry have dramatically reduced dependence on foreign suppliers. Türkiye has also become an important exporter of advanced military technologies. Including indigenous drones, naval platforms, armored vehicles, missile systems and electronic warfare capabilities, every growing strength in this field has also become a significant contribution to NATO's broader defense resilience.

"Türkiye has gone through a defense industrial revolution,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said during his visit to Ankara in late April.

The needed increase in the alliance’s production capacity and diversification of supply chains position Ankara as a major manufacturing hub to address these requirements. The NATO Defense Industry Forum, to be held alongside the Ankara summit, is expected to showcase these capabilities while encouraging deeper industrial cooperation among allies.

"We will announce tens of billions of dollars of new contracts," Rutte said on June 25 in Washington, referring to the Ankara summit next week, also highlighting the role of some 3,000 Turkish defense industrial companies that work all over NATO territory, Rutte said.

"At the summit, we will have a big defense industry day on the first day, and you will see a massive amount of new contracts, MOUs, letters of intent, but also big contracts being signed, which will give a clear signal to our 1 billion citizens in NATO territory. We are really doing what is necessary," he added.

During his speech on Monday, Erdoğan also underscored that Türkiye’s contributions are overlooked by some member states.

"As one of the countries with a say in the development of the European pillar of the alliance, we have the will to participate in all defense and security initiatives on the continent. We expect your close attention and support regarding Türkiye's inclusion in the defense and security initiatives announced by the European Union. Excluding Türkiye's capabilities in the sphere of defense due to shallow political interests benefits no one. At this point, we must create an unconditional security and defense network across the alliance, stretching from Texas to Ankara,” Erdoğan said.

The lack of a vision that embraces the reality about the new Türkiye, the strategic blindness and ideological barriers have unfortunately disappointed leadership in Ankara. Yet, some small steps that acknowledge the strength and strategic importance of Türkiye for NATO and also the EU’s security architecture are encouraging; thus why the upcoming Ankara summit offers more than an opportunity to discuss burden-sharing or defense spending targets. Next week’s summit can become a chance to redefine NATO's strategic priorities for the new era, which has several forms of new security challenges confronting the bloc simultaneously in different geographies. Recognizing and embracing Türkiye’s unique position and contribution and removing ideological barriers would only strengthen the alliance’s efforts to tackle the new forms of challenge.

Here, it must be acknowledged that Erdoğan's leadership has been at the center of elevating Türkiye's strategic profile within the alliance. Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye has combined diplomatic engagement, military power and the defense industry to lift the country's profile, which extends beyond its immediate region. Strong and stable political leadership, combined with a vision that protects Turkish interests while placing importance on regional stability, has enabled Türkiye to become an influential actor in the Black Sea region, the Middle East and even in Africa. In the meeting next week, the member states must recognize that Ankara is not a mere host and a member, but rather, an essential pillar for the Euro-Atlantic alliance. In the end, imagining a more secure NATO and a more secure Europe without a strong Türkiye would be a strategic failure for the alliance.