US to Return Patriot Missiles to Turkey Within 1 Week if Needed - Pentagon

The United States is ready to redeploy its Patriot surface-to-air missile systems in Turkey within one week if required, US Department of Defense spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The spokesperson’s comments come amid the US withdrawal of its Patriot missile systems from Turkey back to the United States for critical modernization upgrades following a review of the country’s global missile defense posture.

"We are prepared to sustain the current deployment site in a cold-basing status to facilitate future deployments of US Patriots," the spokesperson stated. "If needed, we are prepared to return Patriot assets and personnel to Turkey within one week."

The spokesperson added that the United States would maintain "in-theater capability to rapidly transport and support emergent Ballistic Missile Defense requirements."

The spokesperson noted that the phased withdrawal plan for assets and personnel is currently being executed is closely coordinated with NATO headquarters and Turkey.

"We continue to anticipate the completion of that process in October, in accordance with the expiration date of our current rotation. For security reasons, we will not discuss specific dates or details associated with the unit's operations or movements," the spokesperson said.

In August, the governments of the United States and Turkey issued a joint statement, according to which the US deployment of Patriot units in Turkey expiring in October will not be renewed.

The US Patriot missiles have been present in Turkey since 2013 as part of the NATO mission in the country.