RUSSIAN MILITARY DIPLOMACY CONSIDERED: THE S-400 SALE TO TURKEY

Nations are not always at war and militaries are not always in combat. As a result, countries often employ their militaries in ways other than combat operations. Historically studied as security or defense cooperation and recently reclassified as Military Diplomacy (MD), these actions play a significant role in the relationships between nations. This thesis defined MD, highlighted military arms sales as a core element of Russian MD, known as Military-Technical Cooperation (MTC), and then evaluated recent military-military interactions between Turkey and Russia as a case study for Russian military arms sales in action. In this instance, Russia and Turkey set aside past concerns and established a relationship that Russia exploited to achieve a significant military arms sale with far-reaching foreign policy consequences. Major, United States Marine Corps Approved for public release. distribution is unlimited