The fact of the matter is that the mil-to-mil relationship benefits both of us,” Smith said. “There may be some hollow threats or some hints along the way, but I would be shocked if he decided to turn off the lights on the mil-to-mil engagements completely.”
However, hundreds of top Turkish military officers with whom the U.S. regularly works have been arrested following the failed coup, Smith said. The Turkish government is also likely to reduce the military’s influence on foreign and defense policy issues.
“This purge that is now ongoing is going to remove some of our best interlocutors at multiple levels and we’re going to lose some of our stronger contacts across the military,” Smith said.
At last count, the Turkish government has arrested 124 general and flag officers. It has also detained brigadier generals who command anti-terror units in the country’s southeastern provinces of Bitlis, Hakkari, Sirnak and Siirt, where Turkish troops are fighting Kurdish militants. The Gendarmerie commander, Gen. Galip Mendi, has been suspended, ostensibly for health problems.