A botched administrative manoeuvre by the Turkish government publicly exposed a sensitive deal to supply US-origin heavy ammunition and cluster munitions to Ukraine, local daily Cumhuriyet reported on August 31.

The transaction first came to light in early August when details were published in US congressional records. According to Cumhuriyet, the public exposure of the transaction was not an intentional display of military backing for Kyiv but rather the result of bureaucratic clumsiness.

Under Section 36(c) of the US Arms Export Control Act, defence transfers exceeding specific monetary thresholds must be formally notified to Congress, a process that automatically makes the details public.

Standard industry practice

Standard defence industry practice for sensitive transactions often involves splitting shipments into smaller batches that remain beneath the reporting threshold, thereby avoiding the public record and legislative scrutiny. The practice is conducted with the tacit approval of Washington when geopolitical conditions permit.

In this instance, however, the proposed defence package was submitted in two large notifications -- both exceeded the threshold and forced the deal into the public domain. Cited sources attributed the oversight to basic procedural incompetence rather than strategic intent.

Who’s responsible?

The fallout has raised awkward questions within Ankara’s national security establishment as to oversight responsibility. Congressional records explicitly cited the involvement of Turkish defence firms, including private manufacturer ARCA as well as state-owned entities MKE and ASFAT, which operate under the defence ministry.

However, Turkish defence news outlet Defence Turk reported that official sources denied any involvement of MKE and ASFAT when the deal was first exposed. It remains unclear whether the administrative oversight originated with defence corporations, the Turkish Secretariat of Defense Industries (SSB) or the foreign ministry.

Despite Moscow’s call for the arms transfer to be halted, the statutory 15-day objection period in the US Congress expired without any formal opposition following the initial notification made on August 3. Nariman Celal, Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara, confirmed last week that negotiations regarding the ammunition sales remained ongoing.

What’s in the arms package?

In addition to selling its entire inventory of 12 units of M270 multi-barrel launchers, Turkey’s proposed $256mn deal also includes transferring three types of cluster munitions.

Seventy units of M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles are also included in the package. Each unit contains 950 units of M74 antipersonnel/anti-materiel submunitions, totalling 66,500 individual submunitions.

Additionally, 2,524 units of M26 rockets are to be delivered. Each unit contains 644 units of M77 dual purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM) submunitions for a total of 1,625,456 individual submunitions.

Finally, 47,000 units of M509A1 203mm artillery projectiles are to be sold. Each contains 180 units of M42 DPICM submunitions for a total of 8,460,000 individual submunitions.