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Türkiye is transforming its capital into a "security fortress" for the July 7-8 NATO summit, activating domestic missile defense systems, placing its F-16 fleet on high alert, deploying drones and anti-drone systems, and stationing more than 40,000 security personnel in Ankara, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the preparations.
Authorities plan to activate domestic short- and medium-range missile-defense systems and place Türkiye's F-16 fleet on high alert during the high-level meeting, Bloomberg reported, citing people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
More than 40,000 security personnel will be stationed around Ankara, alongside drone and anti-drone systems.
The security buildup extends far beyond conventional policing. In a race against the clock, Türkiye has spent more than $230 million over the past 80 days upgrading a military airstrip in Ankara that will be used by visiting heads of state.
The facility is located closer to the summit venue than the city's main commercial airport, shortening motorcades and reducing security exposure.
International flights into the Esenboga Airport will be restricted during the summit to ease air traffic. Authorities plan to impose a citywide ban on demonstrations between July 1 and July 15 and will coordinate with foreign security agencies to identify individuals with histories of participating in protests abroad.
A three-day administrative holiday will be declared around the summit to relieve urban congestion.
Gun shops in the capital will be prohibited from displaying weapons during the period to prevent possible looting.
Approximately 100 advanced CCTV cameras will be installed at critical locations, supplementing the more than 30,000 already deployed around the city.
Some 6,000 people will attend the summit, including representatives of four Indo-Pacific partners, four Gulf states, and Ukraine, as well as representatives of NATO allies, Bloomberg reported. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently told Bloomberg TV that Türkiye expected Trump's attendance, later confirmed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio confirmed on Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Trump would attend the summit. "The president himself will be attending the next NATO meeting of heads of state, where all these points will be made clear. We're still in NATO, but NATO needs significant changes," Rubio said.
He described the summit as "probably the most important meeting in NATO's history, because there are some things that need to be cleared up and fixed."
Rubio reiterated longstanding U.S. frustrations, such as the Western European nations' avoidance of defense spending for decades by relying on the U.S. security shield while building "vast and robust" social safety networks.
He also expressed frustration over allies that denied the U.S. use of their bases during the Iran war. "We have members of that alliance that are basically denying the use of those bases in a contingency, that is cause to question the entire thing," Rubio said, alluding specifically to Spain's refusal to allow U.S. forces to use its bases for strikes against Iran.
He said Washington was still in talks with Denmark and Greenland on collective missile defense.
"The president's view is that it's a lot easier to defend it when you have control and complete control of it," Rubio said, defending Trump's earlier interest in acquiring Greenland.
Türkiye holds NATO's second-largest military after the U.S. and has a rapidly growing defense industry.
The country's proximity to the Iran war—four Iranian missiles targeting Türkiye were intercepted by NATO defenses during the conflict—and a recent history of terrorist attacks in Ankara are factors that have driven the scale of the security planning, according to the report.
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