Van Hollen, Lankford Release Statement on New Reports of Turkey Testing the S-400 Anti-Aircraft System

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) released the following statement regarding new reports that Turkey has tested its Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft system. Turkey’s use of the S-400 could undermine U.S. national security, allowing Russia a backdoor to spy on NATO allies. Senators Van Hollen and Lankford recently sent a bipartisan letter urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to sanction Turkey for the initial purchase of the S-400, as required under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). In addition, the Senators ask for specific information on Turkey’s use of the S-400, including whether Turkey has integrated the Link 16, NATO’s tactical data link, into the S-400 system, which would further endanger the security of NATO operations. 

“Turkey’s reported testing of the Russian S-400 is unacceptable. The NATO partnership was created to deter Russian aggression in the region, so it is incompatible for any NATO member state to also deploy Russian weapons systems. The U.S. has made clear that Turkey’s actions put U.S. national security and the security of our NATO allies at risk. Any failure to act decisively will further undermine our credibility. We should act immediately to sanction Turkey and accelerate the removal of Turkey from the F-35 supply chain – as is required under U.S. law. We will continue to press this Administration for details on Turkey’s use of the S-400, and we urge them to hold Turkey accountable at once.”