October 30, 2004: Turkey has turned down another request, by the U.S. military, for greater access to bases in Turkey. The request was made in late September as a part of U.S. plans announced in August to realign its global forces deployment in Europe and Asia. The U.S. wanted to put at least two squadrons (around 48 F-16s) at Incirlik Air Base, currently serving as a hub for airlift operations to Afghanistan.
The Turkish military views the request as a potential infringement of the country's sovereignty. The U.S. had requested Turkey to permit the F-16s to conduct day and night low-altitude and supersonic flights and mid-air refueling during training exercises, activities that the Turkish air force is not allowed to do around the base. Earlier, Turkey had rejected a U.S. request for increased access to the Konya training range, saying that the U.S. has sought blanket approval for training exercises. Under a 1980 NATO agreement, the U.S. can bring in up to 48 aircraft to Incirlik for training purposes.ÂÂ
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