U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Türkiye’s defense industry should serve as a model for allied countries ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Ankara.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Whitaker praised Türkiye’s defense production capacity, saying NATO allies should learn from Ankara’s industrial base.

"We need all of our allies to be more like Türkiye,” Whitaker said. "For example, having an industrial base that can produce 50 ships at the same time. Türkiye is doing exactly that right now in its shipyards.”

Whitaker said he visited Türkiye about a month ago, traveling to Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara and Incirlik Air Base in Adana to review preparations for the summit.

Describing Türkiye as an "incredibly capable ally,” Whitaker said Ankara is "seriously committed to the NATO alliance, as well as to its own security and the security of its allies.”

"That is why we must continue to strengthen this relationship,” he added.

In a separate interview with Newsmax, Whitaker also warned allies ahead of the NATO summit that they would receive their first assessment since pledging to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product to defense.

"Allies will receive their first report cards since making the 5% commitment,” Whitaker said, adding that the U.S. would lead by example with a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, placing it "well above” that target.

"Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we expect allies to take responsibility, follow our example and ultimately assume their own conventional defense,” he said.

Whitaker said European countries must take on responsibility for the conventional defense of continental Europe.

NATO member states pledged, at Trump’s request, to allocate 5% of their GDP to defense spending. The final declaration of the NATO summit held in The Hague in June 2025 said alliance members agreed to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

Whitaker said he was excited to return to Türkiye for the summit.

"I was there about a month ago and spent four days visiting Incirlik, Izmir, Ankara and Istanbul to review summit preparations on-site,” he said, adding that he believed this year’s summit would be "very successful.”

Security preparations

Around 56,000 security personnel will be deployed as part of measures for the NATO Leaders Summit in Ankara, a senior police official said in an interview to Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday.

Ankara Deputy Police Chief Arif Hakan Tandoğan said preparations, risk analyses and security assessments began days before the summit.

Speaking at the Ankara Police Department’s City Security Management System Center, Tandoğan said nearly 49,000 police officers and about 7,000 gendarmerie personnel would take part in the security operation.

"So far, nearly 900 sudden inspections have been carried out, and all details are being evaluated,” he said. "Our measures continue in a multilayered and dynamic manner, covering everything from daily rental homes and rental vehicles to parks, gardens, areas around leaders’ accommodations and event venues.”

Tandoğan said the priority was to ensure that heads of state and delegations complete the summit smoothly and leave the country safely and satisfied.

He said crisis centers had been established, including a main crisis center at the city security management center, where continuous monitoring would be carried out. Separate crisis centers operated by different units would also work in coordination, he added.

Tandoğan stressed that daily life in Ankara would continue as normal.

"Life in the city will go on,” he said. "Some measures will be more visible around routes and accommodation areas. Apart from that, there is no situation that should worry our citizens.”

He said alternative routes had been determined and announced by the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications and the governor’s office.

Tandoğan also warned citizens not to trust misinformation and false reports circulating on social media and some news websites, stressing the importance of following statements from official institutions.

"Our measures are at the highest level, but our citizens should rest assured,” he said. "Every detail has been assessed and planned, from the arrival of leaders in our country and capital to their departure.”