Turkey will use the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara to showcase its new military complex designed to unify the country’s armed forces command structure under one site.
The Ay Yildiz Joint Headquarters will house the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, the General Staff, and the commands of the Land, Naval, and Air Forces in a single complex, replacing the current distributed structure, according to a report by TRT World.
The facility is intended to improve joint operations, command coordination, and military decision-making while supporting the country’s long-term defense modernization goals.
The headquarters will host a reception for visiting defense ministers and senior NATO officials during the NATO Summit.
Named after the crescent and star on the Turkish flag, the headquarters was designed with smart-building technologies, environmentally focused infrastructure, and security features tailored to modern military requirements.
Turkey’s Defense Hubs
The Ay Yildiz project is the latest in a series of large-scale defense investments aimed at strengthening Turkey’s capabilities.
In April, Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan opened three new production facilities valued at $1 billion and broke ground on a fourth plant.
Earlier, in August 2025, ASELSAN broke ground on the $1.5-billion Oğulbey Technology Base near Ankara, which officials describe as the country’s largest-ever defense industry investment and Europe’s biggest integrated air defense production complex.
The project accompanies the inauguration of 14 new production facilities and the rollout of components for Turkey’s indigenous Steel Dome air defense system. Together, these initiatives are intended to more than double the company’s production capacity.
