We were interviewed by many magazines, newspapers and agencies about the false news about our company that appeared in French news agencies in May. Below are our answers to the questions asked by Matteo Giusti from L'Espresso.
Mr. Matteo Giusti
L'Espresso
Thank you for your interest in our company. I have tried to answer your questions as comprehensively as possible. Please feel free to ask more questions if you feel the need.
There are many news stories about our company, but 90% of them are made without contacting us and without investigating the truth of the matter. Therefore, such news stories contain completely untrue claims. For this reason, I would like to emphasize that I find your behavior as a real journalist admirable, compared to the news stories that some French news agencies have published without questioning their truth.
Moving on to your questions;
1) When and for what purposes was SADAT born?
SADAT Defense was established in 2012 by Retired General Adnan TANRIVERDİ to provide consultancy, training and logistics services to the armed forces and security forces in the field of defense and security; It is a commercial entity with the status of a Incorporated Company according to the Turkish Commercial Code.
Adnan Tanrıverdi resigned from the management of the company in 2016, as he was appointed as the Senior Advisor to the Presidency of Turkish Republic and a member of the Security and Foreign Policy Board.
I find it useful to explain some of the issues in this sentence. Because SADAT Defense is a company with ethical values, operating in accordance with its founding philosophy, and having a mission and vision.
a) SADAT Defense provides services to the armed forces and security forces of the states.
SADAT does not provide services to non-state actors such as terrorist organizations, paramilitary organizations, companies and individuals (even retired soldiers or security officers).
SADAT Defense is not a paramilitary organization. It does not have an armed force. SADAT Defense is not a private security company. It does not directly or indirectly undertake the duties of the armed forces and/or security forces. It does not provide homeland defense or location security services. In other words, it does not operate as a main or subcontractor in the primary duties of the armed forces or security forces.
b) In order to correctly understand SADAT's mission and vision, first of all, SADAT's founding philosophy must be understood. Please review our founding philosophy in the link below in its entirety. When the founding philosophy is not understood, the subject is completely disconnected from its context.
https://sadat.com.tr/en/about-us/why-sadat-inc-international-defense-consulting.html
As a Commercial Company that prioritizes defense services, SADAT aspires to solve the defense problems of our friends.
Adnan Tanriverdi
Retired General
The mission of SADAT Defense is to provide services in the fields of strategic consultancy, special defense and security training and logistics for the organization of the Armed Forces and Security Forces in the international arena, to create an environment of defense and defense industry cooperation among Islamic countries and to help the Islamic World take its rightful place among the World Super Powers as a self-sufficient military force.
c) SADAT Defense offers strategic consultancy, special training and logistics services.
For example, SADAT Defense can establish a country's Special Forces from scratch. The planning and structuring phase of this work falls under the consultancy service, the training of cadres and trainers falls under the training service, and the planning, projecting and construction of barracks falls under the scope of logistics services.
Another example is; SADAT Defense establishes Military Standardization and Metrology Centers in countries that request it. The design of the organization chart of this center suitable for the country, preparation of job descriptions, determination of the qualifications of the staff, etc. consultancy services, training of the staff, training service, supply of the center's information system, software, hardware are included in the scope of logistics services.
Likewise, SADAT Defense produces Integrated Border Security Solutions. In this solution package; issues such as analyzing threats at country borders, planning, and projecting are included in our consultancy services; construction of fortifications along the borders for border security, surveillance, early warning systems, command and control systems, and equipping them with weapon systems are included in our logistics services; and training of country personnel working in border security is included in our training services.
d) SADAT Defense aims to guarantee peace with the services it provides, to increase the defense capacity and deterrent power of countries. In this context, SADAT Defense provides strategic consultancy services to countries on the effective use of their existing defense and security capacity, to produce projects to complete their deficiencies, to maintain peace and to have a deterrent force to prevent conflict. It has never provided any service to conflict zones before.
It has no activities in Syria, Libya, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali. It only presented a military sports school project for Libya in 2012-2013 and had to withdraw without signing a contract when the Libya crisis began. We have not had any activities in the other 5 countries so far.
e) SADAT Defense prefers to act in accordance with this word;
If you want to do good to someone, don't give him a fish, teach him how to fish.
Confucius
If we evaluate it in terms of the current issue, SADAT Defense does not provide private security services or organize private security. SADAT Defense provides special training to the army and/or police of countries upon request and supports the country in increasing its own self-defense capacity.
In addition, SADAT believes that the use of proxy forces will disrupt stability and create an environment of terror.
2) You operate in different countries from the Caucasus to Africa. Are you working with the Turkish government?
Our company operates in the Defense and Aviation Industry Service Sector. Like all companies operating in the commercial sector, it is extremely natural for us to do business in every corner of the world. In fact, there are countries that we are trying to sell services to, not just from the Caucasus to Africa, but from Southeast Asia to Africa and Europe. In the medium term, we are also targeting the South American market. However, our company does not aim to sell services to the Turkish Government or Defense and Security institutions (since they are too good to no need our services). Therefore, we have never sold any services to the Turkish Government.
On the other hand, we should also ask the question of whether the Turkish Government, which does not need to purchase services from our company, supports our company's activities! When we scan the international literature when SADAT Defense was founded, according to various reports, there were around 70 companies from various countries operating in the defense and aviation industry service sector (while there were no companies in this sector in Turkey). After more than 12 years, SADAT continues to be the only Turkish company operating in the defense and aviation industry service sector on a global scale, but it is reported that the number of companies from different countries has reached around 150. In other words, the number of actors operating in the sector worldwide has doubled. I think that since the Turkish Government does not attach the necessary importance to the issue and does not provide support to facilitate the commercial activities of the sector, investors do not find it commercially profitable to establish new companies. The global size of the Defense and Aviation Industry Service Sector has exceeded 200 billion dollars annually. Although the Turkish Government has made serious progress in the last 10 years with the support it has provided for the production of defense and aviation industry products, I do not think it has yet grasped the importance of the service sector. Therefore, Turkey remains far from getting its rightful share of the global Defense and Aviation Industry Service Sector pie.
3) We are talking about the African continent. Many forces are working in Africa and Turkiye has understood the importance of this for many years. In which countries are you currently operating and in which ones have you worked?
Defense and security issues are the most confidential issues of states. Since we work by signing confidentiality agreements while providing services in these areas, we cannot share which service package we offer in which country. But I can say this with peace of mind; we have not done any work in Niger to date. We have not made any offers to Niger, nor have we received any requests from Niger. Since there is no one in our team who is fluent in French, we could not make any initiatives regarding Niger. However, as of 2025, we will first add French versions to our website and promotional materials in order to enter this Coastal region market. We aim to enter the French-speaking countries market before 2030.
4) Is SADAT different from the Russian Wagner Group? Do you have connections? Have you ever worked together? Or are you competitors?
SADAT and the Wagner group operate in very different lanes. In fact, our company is very uncomfortable being compared to Wagner.
If you allow me, I would like to talk about how we define the concept of the Defense and Aviation Industry Service Sector.
The Defense and Aviation Industry Service Sector is classified differently by different experts. As someone from within the sector, I am making a different classification in order to be understandable and simple. This classification fully reflects our perspective on the subject. I divide the sector into 3. While making this classification, I divide the sector into layers.
At the bottom level there are mercenaries. As far as we can follow from the press, they do all kinds of dirty work.
The middle layer includes companies that provide logistics services to war and conflict zones.
At the top level, there are companies that provide consultancy, training and logistics services that will guarantee peace and contribute to countries creating deterrent power. Here, SADAT International Defense Consulting Company operates in the white zone at the top level of the sector. With the activities it carries out, it aims to protect peace and ensure that the countries receiving the service have deterrent power against terrorist groups and imperialist powers. Therefore, it is quite upsetting for our company to be confused with Wagner.
IN CONCLUSION;
If we go back to the founding philosophy of our Company;
The genocide that Israel has carried out in the Palestinian territories that it occupied in 1948, which has caused the deaths of more than 40 thousand people since October 7 (more than 60 thousand since 1948), and the fire that is being tried to spread throughout the Middle East today, has made conscientious people from all walks of life, all views, and all religions question the reason for their existence in the world. The public conscience of the world has reached the point of explosion.
Millions of people live in inhumane conditions not only in Palestine but also in many regions such as Yemen, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Arakan, Kashmir, East Turkestan, and Ukraine. It is not even possible to call most of them alive.
The current international order imposed by the winners of World Wars I and II has completely lost its legitimacy.
The World is Bigger than Five.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The established order is not sustainable. The justice of the powerful will give way to the rule of law. The international system must be reformed urgently.
SADAT Defense will continue to carry out the activities in its mission and vision with firm steps, remaining loyal to its founding philosophy and international law.
We call on the Middle East, Africa and Asia in particular. They should develop their capacities by investing in their special forces, border security and military standardization and metrology systems in the field of defense and security. SADAT has important solution packages in this regard. We are ready to provide services at competitive prices.
Best regards. 01.08.2024
Melih TANRIVERDI
Chairman of the Board of Directors
