The Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) was founded in 1985 as the Defence Industry Development and Support Administration Office (SaGeB) under the Ministry of National Defense in accordance with Law No. 3238.
The SaGeB's tasks were to set policies regarding the establishment of the infrastructure of the defence industry with the authority and responsibility to apply these policies. Subsequently, the SaGeB was restructured as the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries in 1989.
SSM was affiliated to the Presidency of Republic in December 2017 and renamed as Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) in July 2018.
In order to develop a modern defense industry and to enable the modernization of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), SSB is designated to:
- Carry out the decisions adapted by the Defense Industry Executive Committee.
- Conclude ordering contracts of purchases to be made on project basis extending to years
- Reorganize and integrate the current national industry in line with defense industry needs; encourage new enterprises and orient them according to this integration and needs; explore the possibilities of foreign capital and technology contributions; direct enterprises to this end, and finally, plan the participation of the State.
- Set procurement schedules and financing models by taking resources into consideration.
- Plan the production of required modern weapons and equipment by the private or the public sector.
- Support new private, public or joint investments on condition of openness when necessary.
- Research, develop, and produce prototypes of modern weapons, devices and equipment; provide advance loans and determine long-term orders and other financial and economic incentives.
- Enter into contracts covering technical and financial issues taking into account long term procurement decisions according to the nature of the work with the specifications and standards to be determined by the Ministry of National Defense.
- Coordinate exports and off-set trade issues related to defense industry products.
- Grant loans from the Defense Industry Support Fund or obtain loans from domestic and overseas sources and establish and participate in domestic and foreign companies where necessary.
- Monitor whether outputs comply with the contract content through quality controls and check whether contract conditions have been fulfilled or not.
- Ensure that implementation deficiencies are resolved by the relevant organizations and companies.
- Procure the needs of the National Intelligence Organization and the urgent needs of the Turkish National Police relating to intelligence and security.