Incirlik Relying on Generator Power

In the aftermath of the failed July 15 military coup against Turkish President Recep Erdogan, the Pentagon is reporting that all of the roughly 3,000 U.S. military personnel and dependents in the country are safe. Power to Incirlik Air Base, however, has been knocked out. Operations at Incirlik are continuing while the base operates under backup generator power. While U.S. installations there still are pursuing missions against Islamic State targets, Defense Secretary Ash Carter stated that the primary focus there would be the security of U.S. citizens. “We are confident that the measures we have in place and the support we’re receiving from the Turkish government is adequate to address any security concerns we have at this time, and we’ll continue to watch it very, very closely, as you would expect we would,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said July 18. Family members had been ordered out of Turkey before the coup attempt took place.