Although NATO's 28 countries quickly approved Turkey's request to augment its air defense against a potential cross-border attack from Syria, the deployment of Patriot systems will likely take place in early 2013, as technical work to determine the number of batteries and sites continues.
"It's hard to give a precise date for the deployment of the Patriots. But it could take no less than a month if everything goes as planned," diplomatic sources told the Hurriyet Daily News yesterday.
The NATO ministers' approval on Dec. 4 was just the first phase of the process, as technicalities of the deployment are yet to be decided by the SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander in Europe).
In addition, Turkey should also wait for the completion of the national approval processes of the countries, namely the Netherlands and Germany, who are believed to provide those systems.
German Foreign Minister Gudio Westerwelle said they would decide on the matter this week in the Cabinet and would send it to the Parliament for approval. The systems are to be sent by sea, which could further delay the deployment.
However, NATO Allied Land Commander Gen. Frederick Ben Hodges told the Anadolu news agency that the deployment of the systems will be in Turkey sooner than expected. "These are large systems. They will be brought to Turkey via ships and they will be uploaded to ships in a few weeks. I cannot give you a specific date about the deployment of Patriots but it will be shorter than what most people expect," he said.