Action Line 80202 - Vehicle Passes Published March 10, 2008 By Anonymous 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Question: Why do we have to get passes for our vehicles and the Turkish soldiers do not? I understand that this is their base but it seems like they are trying more and more to make us uncomfortable. Is it that they don't want us here? I was stationed here 10 years ago and we never had the tension between the Americans and Turks like we do now. Why have we let things get so bad? Answer: I'm afraid you have bad information; Turkish soldiers, host nation employees and host nation contractors are required to get vehicle gate passes. We have not done this up until now, but 10th Tanker Command's request to implement vehicle gate passes is part of their ongoing effort to ensure comprehensive perimeter security for the base. We are examining the pros and cons of this request and have not yet reached a final agreement on the best way to proceed. Rest assured that we will try to maintain a balance between force protection, installation security, and minimizing interruptions to our daily lives. Relationships between people experience highs and lows over time; this is true for nations as well. Several strategic-level events have impacted our relationship with our Turkish hosts but fundamentally I disagree with your premise they are trying to make us uncomfortable...on the contrary, they are asking us to follow the same rules they enforce on their personnel. Not an unreasonable request. I think if you look deeper you will see a solid friendship between us and our Turkish Allies and I believe they do want us here. As a matter of fact, I believe we are improving relations every day!