How quickly could Turkey send military forces to back Saudi Arabia?

Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have pledged to rapidly deploy military forces to aid Riyadh in its conflict with Iran-backed Houthi rebels. This pledge emerged from an emergency meeting of ministers and military commanders under the Makkah defence pact, a collective deterrence agreement signed in August. Deniz Karakullukcu, a Turkish parliament foreign policy adviser, stated that the pact transitioned from a theoretical framework to practical military implementation much faster than anticipated.

However, the process of actually sending troops is not instantaneous and involves agreement with each country's respective legislation. Turkey, being a NATO member, is cautious about committing large numbers of troops to another country's conflict and may seek limitations on its involvement. In Turkey, parliament must first approve the pact and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must ratify it.

Once the pact is approved domestically, Erdogan would then decide whether or not to deploy troops. While Turkey can offer limited technical and military support before the pact is formally ratified, it is more likely to provide advisory support, border defenses, air and missile defense systems, and intelligence sharing rather than approve a large-scale cross-border operation in Yemen.

Turkish-made military systems may operate with Saudi personnel or through technical assistance. Sending air defense and missile systems could also benefit Turkey by expanding its defense manufacturing industry and building a reputation for domestically produced hardware. However, Turkey is unlikely to engage in significant involvement in Yemen due to its trade and political relationships with Iran, which backs the Houthis. Ankara also wants to avoid potential negative repercussions for its own strategic interests.