Incirlik Air Base

Coordinates: 37°00′07″N 035°25′33″E / 37.00194°N 35.42583°E / 37.00194; 35.42583 (Incirlik Air Base)
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Incirlik Air Base
İncirlik Hava Üssü
İncirlik, Adana in Turkey
A Turkish Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker of the 10th Tanker Base seen at Incirlik AB during 2020
Site information
TypeJoint Turkish/United States airbase
OwnerMinistry of National Defense
Operator
Controlled by
  • US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa
  • Combatant Air Force Command (TurAF)
ConditionOperational
WebsiteOfficial website (USAF)
Location
Incirlik AB is located in Turkey
Incirlik AB
Incirlik AB
Location in Turkey
Incirlik AB is located in NATO
Incirlik AB
Incirlik AB
Incirlik AB (NATO)
Coordinates37°00′07″N 035°25′33″E / 37.00194°N 35.42583°E / 37.00194; 35.42583 (Incirlik Air Base)
Site history
Built1951 (1951) – 1955
Built byUS Army Corps of Engineers
In use1955 – present
Garrison information
Garrison
Airfield information
Identifiers
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
05/23 10,000 feet (3,048 m) Concrete
Source: Incirlik Air Base Instruction 13-204[1]
An aerial view of the airfield at Incirlik Air Base, c. 1987
Composite Recon Track requiring two missions

Incirlik Air Base (

Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha),[2] located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people,[3] 10 km (6 mi) east of the city core, and 32 km (20 mi) inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States Air Force and the Turkish Air Force are the primary users of the air base, although it is at times also used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. The base is also the home of the 74th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment (Patriot unit) of the Spanish Army.[4][5]

Incirlik Air Base is the home of the 10th Air Wing (Ana Jet Üssü or AJÜ) of the 2nd Air Force Command (Hava Kuvvet Komutanlığı) of the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri). Other wings of this command are located in Merzifon (LTAP), Malatya/Erhaç (LTAT) and Diyarbakır (LTCC).[6]

Incirlik Air Base has a U.S. Air Force (USAF) complement of about five thousand airmen, with several hundred airmen from the Royal Air Force and Turkish Air Force also present, as of late 2002. The primary unit stationed at Incirlik Air Base is the 39th Air Base Wing (39 ABW) of the U.S. Air Force. Incirlik Air Base has one 3,048 m (10,000 ft)-long runway,[7][8] located among about 57 hardened aircraft shelters. Tactical nuclear weapons are stored at the base.[9][10] Among them are "up to" 50 B61 nuclear bombs.[11]

Etymology

The word incirlik (pronounced [indʒiɾlic]) means "fig tree grove", in the Turkish language.

History

The decision to build the Incirlik Air Base was made during the

Turkish General Staff
and the U.S. Air Force signed a joint-use agreement for the new Air Base in December 1954. On 21 February 1955, the Air Base was officially named Adana Air Base, with the 7216th Air Base Squadron as the host unit. This Air Base was renamed the Incirlik Air Base on 28 February 1958.

Reconnaissance missions from Incirlik

The early years of its existence proved the value of the presence of the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, not only in countering the threat of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but also in responding to crises in the Middle East, such as in Lebanon and Israel.

Project 119L, a public U.S. Air Force

strategic reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union. Under the codename "GENETRIX
", these balloon launches were carried out beginning in February 1956.

Following initial weather balloon operations, pilots began flying American

U.S. Navy P4M-1Q Mercator and A3D-1Q Skywarrior reconnaissance flights operated from Incirlik into Soviet-claimed air space over the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and as far east as Afghanistan
.

The Incirlik Air Base was the main U-2 flight base in this entire region beginning in 1956.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM) program.

In addition to the Cold War aerial reconnaissance mission, Incirlik acted as an operational and logistics hub for an array of communications transmission and signals intelligence detachments located at various mountain sites, the latter focused on Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces near Turkey's borders.

Lebanon crisis

The

U.S. Marine Corps were not involved in ground fighting. The U.S. Air Force warplanes flew non-combat missions to cover allied troop movements, to carry out a show-of-force flights over Lebanon, including over Beirut, aerial reconnaissance flights, and true news and propaganda leaflet
drops on Lebanon.

As a part of an effort to bring units with combat experience into the region of Turkey, the

U.S. Air Forces in Europe
(USAFE) inactivated the 7216th Air Base Squadron, which had been promoted to an Air Base Group, and activated the 39th Tactical Group in its place at Incirlik on 1 April 1966. This Air Base Group assumed control of the permanent Air Force support units there, and it hosted the rotational Air Force squadrons that conducted training operations, and also maintained a NATO deterrent air force at the Incirlik Air Base.

As a training site

After the Lebanon crisis, the Tactical Air Command deployed F-100 fighter squadrons on 100-day rotations to Incirlik from the United States. The flying mission at Incirlik further diversified in 1970 when the Turkish Air Force agreed to allow the

air-to-ground missile testing range at 240 km northwest Konya, providing a suitable training area for the warplane squadrons deployed to Incirlik. These units also conducted training at Incirlik's offshore air-to-air missile range over the Mediterranean Sea
.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, except during the

C-130 Hercules
completed temporary duty rotations at Incirlik, not least in support of the base's NATO/USAFE forward-deployed nuclear mission.

Embargo

In mid-1975, the Turkish government announced that all U.S. military bases in Turkey would be closed and transferred to the Turkish Air Force. This action was in response to an

İzmir Air Base
remained open due to their NATO responsibilities, but all non-NATO activities at these locations were suspended.

After Congress lifted the embargo in September 1978, and also restored military and naval assistance to Turkey, normal operations resumed in Turkey, and the United States and Turkey signed the Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement (DECA) on 29 March 1980. After signing the DECA, the USAFE initiated the "Turkey Catch-up Plan" to improve the quality-of-life of airmen stationed at Incirlik. One of the major projects was a completely new base housing complex for airmen and officers.

First Gulf War, Humanitarian Relief, and Operation Northern Watch

After

Kurdish refugees
in northern Iraq.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during his visit to Incirlik Air Base, 4 June 2001

Between 1992 and 1997

Operation Warden over Iraq.[13]

The 39th TACG was redesignated the 39th Wing on 1 October 1993 and restructured as a standard Air Force objective wing.

The

U.N.-sanctioned no-fly zone
north of the 36th parallel in Iraq.

The 39th Air and Space Expeditionary Wing was activated at Incirlik AB on 15 September 1997, to support and command USAF assets deployed to Incirlik supporting ONW, while Incirlik's tent city, Hodja Village, became the USAF's largest such "temporary" facility.

From 1994, the Turkish Air Force began receiving KC-135R-CRAG Stratotanker aerial refueling tankers. The seven aircraft are operated by the 101st Squadron, stationed at Incirlik.

September 11, 2001 attacks

In response to the

KC-135 refueling missions, prisoner transport to Guantanamo Bay (swap from C-17 to C-141s) and sustainment operations for deployed forces. The aerial port managed a 6-fold increase in airflow during the height of OEF. When the main bases in Afghanistan (Bagram Airfield) and the Uzbekistan air base (Karshi-Khanabad Air Base
) were in use the Incirlik's airflow supporting OEF decreased to a baseline sustainment level.

Iraq War

Operation Northern Watch (ONW) ended with the start of the Iraq War on 19 March 2003. ONW flew its last patrol on 17 March 2003, and closed a successful 12-year mission to contain the Iraqi military and inactivated 1 May 2003. The 39th ASEW was also inactivated, effective 1 May 2003. The wing was completely inactivated on 16 July 2003 and the 39th Air Base Group was activated in its place.

On 19 August 2003, the first rotation of deployed

11 September 2001 attacks as well as the post-invasion
reconstruction of Iraq and the ensuing insurgency.

On 6 January 2004, more than 300

U.S. Army
soldiers of what would become thousands transited through Incirlik as the first stop back to their home post after spending almost a year in Iraq. Incirlik was part of what was described as the largest troop movement in U.S. history. Incirlik provided soldiers with a cot, warm location, entertainment and food for a few hours outside of a hostile war zone.

On 12 March 2004, the 39th Air Base Group inactivated and the 39th Air Base Wing activated to provide the best mix of required support and, as new mission requirements emerge, to shoulder the burden and better contribute in the global war on terrorism.

2005 Kashmir earthquake humanitarian relief

Incirlik played a bridge role by providing support in the relief operation started after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake on 8 October 2005. With the help of Turkish and American airmen, five C-130 Hercules cargo planes from Air Bases in Italy, Britain, Greece, and France flew urgently needed supplies including 10,000 tents from the warehouse of UNHCR in İskenderun, Turkey to Afghanistan on 19 October.

2006 Hezbollah–Israel War

During the brief War between Hezbollah and Israel in July 2006, the Incirlik Air Base provided solace to Americans who had been evacuated by U.S. Navy warships from Beirut, Lebanon to Mersin, Turkey.

2010 land claim lawsuits

In 2010, three Armenian Americans filed a lawsuit against the Republic of Turkey and two banks for compensation of 122 acres (0.49 km2) of land in the Adana region of Turkey, where Incirlik Air Base currently stands.[14] An American court accepted the case and granted Turkey 21 days to respond to the lawsuit.[15] The defendant banks in Turkey requested the court extend the deadline for a response until September 2011. The court accepted the extension.[16]

U.S District Judge

Dolly Gee dismissed the case in 2013, but the dismissal did not prevent the plaintiffs from using the U.S federal courts to hold Turkish banks accountable for seizing land from Armenians during World War I. The plaintiffs filed an appeal brief on October. 21, 2013, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard the case 17 December 2018.[17]

2015 operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Further information:
Military intervention against ISIL order of battle

On 13 October 2014, it was rumored that the Turkish government approved the use of Incirlik Air base to support operations against the so-called

UAVs and USAF combat planes to fly combat sorties against ISIL in neighboring Syria out of Incirlik Air base.[20] Ankara formally signed a deal 29 July 2015 with the United States over the use of Turkey's Incirlik air base in the U.S.-led coalition's campaign against the Islamic State, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, Hurriyet reported. The agreement covers only the fight against the Islamic State and does not include air support for allied Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, a spokesman for the ministry said.[21]

Between January 2015 and August 2015, the nuclear storage facility at the base underwent substantial perimeter security enhancements. These upgrades included the installation of two-lane chain-link security fences spanning 8400 meters, the establishment of a dedicated patrol road, aircraft entrance gates, and the implementation of the K8 protection aircraft barrier.[22]

On 25 April 2016, the

ISIL. Funds will support the permanent basing of six Panavia Tornado and one Airbus A310 MRTT within six months. These will be supported by 200 troops. Separate command post (34 million Euro) and housing and recreational facilities (10 million and 4,5 million Euro respectively) will be built by the end of 2017.[23][24] As of May 2017, due to diplomatic disagreements between Germany and Turkey, the German government is considering pulling German forces out of the base.[25] In June 2017 the German Parliament voted to leave the Incirlik Air Base and in September the troops got transferred to the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base at Azraq in Jordan.[26]

2016 Turkish coup attempt

As a result of the

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt and several Turkish tanker aircraft fueling rogue Turkish F-16's, external electrical power to the base was disconnected. A Turkish no fly order was also put into effect for US military aircraft in the area. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook at the time stated that "U.S. facilities at Incirlik are operating on internal power sources." EUCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez said: "All our assets in Turkey are fully under control and there was no attempt to challenge that status." and "There was no chaos at this base". The security level at base did however move to DELTA, the highest level, U.S. personnel are ordered restricted to base, and locals were denied access.[27][28]
By 17 July commercial electrical power remained disconnected but permission from Turkey to conduct US anti-
Erdoğan.[29] General Van sought asylum from the United States but was denied.[30]

Due to increasing risks, some suggest moving NATO's nuclear weapons out of Turkey.[31][32][33][34][35][36][37]

Post coup attempt deterioration of relations

Due to deteriorating relations with Turkey, German MPs and lawmakers have suggested withdrawing German troops and weaponry from the base, to possibly relocate them elsewhere.[38] In September 2017 the Germans finally left Turkey and were redeployed at an airbase near Azraq in Jordan.[39]

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Incirlik Air Base.[40][41][42]

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Incirlik, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

Nuclear warhead storage

Incirlik airbase hosts approximately fifty B61 nuclear bombs.[10]

Laicie Heeley, a fellow with the Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense program at the Stimson Center said in 2016:[43]

From a security point of view, it’s a roll of the dice to continue to have approximately 50 of America’s nuclear weapons stationed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, just 70 miles from the Syrian border. These weapons have zero utility on the European battlefield and today are more of a liability than asset to our NATO allies.

During the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, tensions between Turkey and the US moved the B61 nuclear bombs, stored by the US at the İncirlik airbase, back into focus. A removal was again debated, but Vipin Narang from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pointed out, that the process of moving them under these circumstances poses risks and the weapons "could be vulnerable to accidents, theft or attack".[44]

Facilities

Following facilities exist for the service people and their family members:

  • AFN-Incirlik – Department of Defense unit providing American Forces Network programming[45]
  • Incirlik American Unit School, Home of the Hodjas.[46] The school closed on 29 March 2016, when families were ordered to departure the base. In July 2023, Department of Defense Education Activity Europe Region leadership visited the base to assess the feasibility of returning families to Incirlik.[47]
  • Incirlik Education Center run by University of Maryland Global Campus for 12 courses per term in departments such as: English, History, Psychology, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Language, Business and management, Computers, Government, Sociology, and Criminal Justice[48]
  • Titan Fitness Center[49]
  • A Reel Time Movie Theatre that shows second-run movies[50]
  • Hodja Lakes Golf Course[51]
  • An Outdoor Recreation Center that provides rental services of bikes, camping equipment, barbecue gear, etc. and coordinates trips to local areas[52]
  • A veterinary clinic[53]

The 39th Civil Engineer Squadron is responsible for

live trapping of cats, dogs, and foxes.[54]

Visiting notables

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Julia Roberts, and Steven Soderbergh visited the base in December 2001

See also

References

  1. ^ "Airfield Operations" (PDF). 27 July 2022. p. 10. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Factsheets : 39th Civil Engineer Squadron". incirlik.af.mil. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Turkey: Major cities and provinces". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  4. ^ sdgtic-digenin-ccomsi. "El General Jefe de Incirlik da la bienvenida al contingente PATRIOT español. – EMAD". emad.mde.es. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  5. ^ Tierra, JEME – Ejercito de. ".:Ejército de tierra – DESPLIEGUE PATRIOT EN TURQUIA:". ejercito.mde.es.
  6. ^ "Scramble on the Web – Turkish Air Force". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2007.
  7. ^ "PilotWeb – LTAG". FAA.gov. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Incirlik Air Base (UAB)". world-airport-codes.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Tactical nuclear weapons 'are an anachronism'". BBC News. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  10. ^ a b "The H-Bombs in Turkey". The New Yorker. 17 July 2016.
  11. ^ Burns, Robert (19 October 2019). "US-Turkey frictions raise doubts about nukes at Turkish base". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 11A. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  12. ^
    ISBN 9781574884227
    .
  13. ^ "19 Years Over Iraq". The Official RAF Annual Review 2010. Stamford: Key Publishing: 11. 1 December 2010.
  14. ^ "Armenians Sue Turkey Claiming U.S. Air Base Land". Huffington Post. 23 December 2010.
  15. ^ "TURKEY – US court requests Turkey's defense in lawsuit filed by Armenian-Americans". Hurriyetdailynews.com. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  16. ^ "ABD'den, 'Ermeniler İncirlik'i istiyor' notası! – Güncel Haberler". Sabah.com.tr. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  17. ^ Macias, Martin (17 December 2018). "9th Circuit Hears Genocide Land Grab Case". courthousenews.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Turkey 'to let US use bases' against Islamic State". BBC News. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  19. ^ "Report: Turkey, U.S. haven't yet agreed on America's use of Incirlik base to fight IS". Haaretz. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  20. ^ Nissenbaum, Dion; Peker, Emre; Albayrak, Ayla (23 July 2015). "Turkey to Let U.S. Military Launch Strikes Against Islamic State From Turkish Soil". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  21. ^ "Sitrep – Turkey: Air Base Deal Signed With U.S". Us4.campaign-archive1.com. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  22. ^ "KUANTA CONSTRUCTION". www.kuanta.com.tr. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  23. ^ Jennings, Gareth (4 May 2016). "Germany to set up permanent facilities at Incirlik". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. 53 (18): 6.
  24. ^ Gebauer, Matthias (25 April 2016). "Kampf gegen IS: Bundeswehr baut "Tornado"-Stützpunkt in der Türkei" (in German). SPIEGELnet GmbH. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  25. ^ "Germany likely to pull troops out of Incirlik air base – DW – 15.05.2017". DW.COM.
  26. ^ "A very big move". deutschland.de. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  27. ^ John Vandiver (16 July 2016). "Turkey closes air space over Incirlik, grounding US aircraft at base". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  28. ^ Eric Schmitt, Dan Bilefsky (16 July 2016). "Turkey Interrupts U.S. Air Missions Against ISIS at Major Base". New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  29. ^ "Incirlik airspace reopened; Turkish base commander detained". Stars and Stripes.
  30. ^ "Erdogan Triumphs After Coup Attempt, but Turkey's Fate Is Unclear". The New York Times. 17 July 2016.
  31. ^ "Let's get our nuclear weapons out of Turkey". Los Angeles Times. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  32. ^ "Why the U.S. should move nukes out of Turkey". The Japan Times. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  33. ^ "Should the U.S. Pull Its Nuclear Weapons From Turkey?". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  34. ^ "How safe are US nukes in Turkey?". CNN. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  35. ^ "The U.S. stores nuclear weapons in Turkey. Is that such a good idea?". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  36. ^ Borger, Julian (17 July 2016). "Turkey coup attempt raises fears over safety of US nuclear stockpile". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  37. ^ "Should the US remove its nuclear bombs from Turkey?". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  38. ^ "German lawmakers call for withdrawal of Bundeswehr troops from Turkey". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  39. ^ "German military leaves Turkey's Incirlik airbase" dw.com
  40. ^ "39th Air Base Wing". Incirlik Air Base. US Air Force. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  41. ^ "728th Air Mobility Squadron". Incirlik Air Base. US Air Force. February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  42. ^ "Turkish Air Force Order of Battle". Scramble Dutch Aviation Society. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  43. ^ Baird, Jim (14 August 2016). "US Nuclear Weapons in Turkey at Risk of Seizure by Terrorists, Hostile Forces". stimson.org. Stimson Center.
  44. ^ Julian Borger and Jennifer Rankin: "US bombs at Turkish airbase complicate rift over Syria invasion" The Guardian 13 October 2019
  45. ^ "AFN Incirlik". europe.afn.mil. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  46. ^ "Incirlik American School". www.inci-ehs.eu.dodea.edu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  47. ^ Senior Airman David D. McLoney (21 July 2023). "DoDEA-Europe Team visits Incirlik AB Incirlik School Facilities". 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  48. ^ "Adana-Incirlik Air base". europe.umgc.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  49. ^ "Titan Fitness Center". 39fss.com. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  50. ^ "Incirlik Movie Showtimes". aafes.com. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  51. ^ "Hodja Lakes Golf Course". 39fss.com. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  52. ^ "Outdoor Recreation Center". 39fss.com. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  53. ^ "Vet Clinic". www.39fss.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  54. ^ a b Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders (12 August 2016). "Big or small Pest Management takes care of them all". 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  55. ^ "'Ocean's 11' actors to visit troops in Turkey". CNN. 6 December 2001. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  56. ^ "NFL player Fitzgerald to visit USAFE bases". Stars and Stripes. 6 June 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Incirlik_Air_Base&oldid=1254523289"