The American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Hellenic
American Leadership Council (HALC) have lobbied for US Congress to amend the
NDAA to make the sale of F-16 fighters and upgrade kits to Turkiye conditional.
The amendment received Turkiye’s rapid reaction as it would tie the country’s
hand against Greece, and it also meant that the USA supported the Greek 12-mile
claims Turkiye declared “casus belli”.
The proposal was sponsored by six House of Representatives
members, three of whom are Greek-American.
Turkiye applied in October 2021 to purchase 40 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and 80 modernisation kits for its existing F-16 fleet.
The final version of NDAA will reach US President Joe Bidens
desk to be signed.
Following the amendment, the State Department notified
Congress that President Biden supported the sale. He later said he was
confident the needed congressional approval would be obtained.
