This paper provides an overview of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) missile defense
debate from a Turkish perspective. While Turkey participates in the EPAA by hosting a U.S. early-warning
radar in Kurecik, Malatya, its political and military concerns with NATO guarantees have led to the AKP
government's quest for a national long-range air and missile defense system. However, Turkish decision
makers' insistence on technology transfer shows that the Turkish debate is not adequately informed by the lessons learned from the EPAA, particularly the technical and financial challenges of missile defense