Published January 15,2026

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The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) Defense Industry Academy will hold the second Defense Industry Talent Management Summit in Ankara on January 14-15 as part of the National Competence Initiative.

According to an announcement from SSB, within the scope of the National Competence Initiative approved at the Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on August 6, 2024, numerous projects and programs are being implemented targeting a wide audience—from high school students to university youth, young professionals, and industry leaders.

The initiative aims to strengthen sustainable human resource capacity in Türkiye’s defense industry, expand the pool of qualified talent, and develop critical competencies in strategic areas. The projects focus on knowledge and experience sharing, collective intelligence, consultation, and cooperation.

The first Defense Industry Talent Management Summit, held in September 2024 with the participation of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Council of Higher Education (YÖK) President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, and SSB President Haluk Görgün, hosted over 1,100 participants. The event featured seven panel sessions, four keynote speeches, and seven mini talks over two days under the theme of “Talent and Competence,” addressing the current status of human resources in the defense ecosystem, structural challenges, future skill needs, and leadership approaches.

The second summit, themed around leadership, will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in Ankara on January 14-15, 2026, with the participation of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and SSB President Haluk Görgün.

The event aims to actively involve HR and academy professionals in defense companies as well as leaders managing technical teams. Discussions will cover leadership approaches at the intersection of technical expertise and managerial perspectives, next-generation competencies, the impact of digital transformation on human resources, evolving organizational structures, and profiles of future leaders.

Compared to the first summit, the second event is expected to host more than 37 speakers and over 1,500 participants.

The summit is intended to strengthen leadership culture in the sector, enhance inter-institutional knowledge and experience sharing, and strategically support human resource policies aligned with the goals of the National Competence Initiative.