Defense Department slams ally Turkey for weapon test

The Trump administration on Friday slammed Turkey for taking a new step toward fielding a Russian-made air defense weapon.

After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that his country had tested the S-400 air defense system and brushed off American complaints, saying, “We aren’t going to ask America,” the Pentagon hit back.

“The U.S. Department of Defense condemns in the strongest possible terms Turkey’s October 16 test of the S-400 air defense system,” the top Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, said in a statement. “We have been clear and unwavering in our position: an operational S-400 system is not consistent with Turkey’s commitments as a U.S. and NATO ally.”

The State Department separately called Turkey’s test unacceptable and a “clear step in the wrong direction.”