Haluk Görgün, head of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries, stated at the 8th Productivity and Technology Fair that the country’s main objective in the defense sector is to achieve full independence through efficient projects in every field. Speaking at the event, which was attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, Görgün underlined that every organization strengthening Türkiye’s production power, technology capability, and determination for development carries major value for the country’s future. He emphasized that such platforms directly support the national technology vision by bringing together academia, industry, entrepreneurs, and young people around common goals.

Görgün noted that the transformation in the defense sector is not limited to building products alone, but also depends on systematic thinking, efficient use of resources, and the selection of the right technologies. In this context, he highlighted the importance of the GHOST Program, short for “Technologies That Will Shape the Future Operational Environment.” He described it as a critical tool for anticipating future battlefields and building technology roadmaps accordingly. According to Görgün, the first phase of the program focuses on future operational scenarios, while the second phase identifies the critical technologies emerging from those scenarios. The results are then transferred into the ODAK technology networks structure, where short-, medium-, and long-term plans are developed.

He also stressed that decision-making processes in the defense industry are based not only on intuition but on data-driven and analytical methods. Görgün explained that methodologies such as DEMATEL, AHP, and TOPSIS are used to analyze relationships between technology areas, determine priority projects, and identify which technologies should receive greater focus. This scientific approach, he said, makes it possible to allocate resources more effectively and establish more accurate priorities. He pointed out that this methodological discipline has been one of the key factors behind Türkiye’s recent achievements in defense industry development.

Turning to future technologies, Görgün said that ongoing work is being carried out under the Defence Industry R&D Broad Area calls, known as SAGA. He noted that three separate SAGA calls were issued in the past year alone. In the field of artificial intelligence, he said, more than ten projects are being conducted simultaneously in areas such as generative AI, multimodal AI, large language models, explainable AI, and large action models. He added that there are also major projects in quantum computing, sensing, navigation, and communications. According to Görgün, these efforts demonstrate that Türkiye is not only responding to current defense needs, but is also building a defense ecosystem designed for the future operational environment.

Görgün also placed particular emphasis on the importance of human capital. He said the national competency initiative is the long-term guarantee of the defense industry’s strength. Defining real competence as the combination of technical knowledge, discipline, problem-solving ability, leadership, and institutional culture, he stressed that sustainable success in the defense sector cannot be achieved without strong human resources. In his view, Türkiye’s goal of a fully independent defense industry depends not only on technological infrastructure, but also on the qualified workforce capable of building, managing, and advancing that infrastructure.