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Abu Dhabi / WAM
Over 26 global industry leaders, specialists, and experts will attend the International Defence Conference 2021, held under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on February 20.
Held as a hybrid event for the first time in its history, the conference will be held both at the Adnoc Business Centre, as well as virtually through global platforms. Participants will discuss the prosperity and development of artificial intelligence and advanced technology and the protection in the era of the 4IR.
The conference is organised by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) and the Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun), in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the General Command of the Armed Forces of the UAE. The conference will run from 8:00 to 14:00.
The defence exhibitions, Idex 2021 and Navdex 2021, will open the following day and run until the25th February, 2020, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
The conference will open with a speech by Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs. He will highlight how the UAE plays a key role in advancing the global defence sector. Four main sessions will follow, which both local and international experts will participate in. Prominent speakers include Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications, and Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Ohali, Governor of the General Authority for Military
Industries, Saudi Arabia.
The first session, held under the title “Exploring innovative opportunities in supply-chain ecosystem management beyond the Covid-19 pandemic”, will welcome Suhail Al Mazrouei, Ahmed Al-Ohali, Helmut Rauch, CEO and President of Diehl Defence, and Tim Cahill, Senior Vice President at Lockheed Martin International. It will be moderated by Badr Al-Olama, Executive Director – Aerospace, Mubadala Investment Company.
The second session, held under the title “Protecting AI and other 4IR technologies in the age of collaboration and diffusion”, will be attended by Omar Al Olama; Micael Johansson, Chief Executive Officer at Saab Group; Heidi Grant, Director of the Defence Security Cooperation Agency in the United States (US), and Eric Papin, Executive VP Technical and Innovation
Officer, Naval Group.
As for the third session, it will be held under the theme “Strengthening the Defence industries R&D in an increasingly dynamic global context”. Participants will include Faisal Al Bannai, CEO and Managing Director of EDGE; Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, CEO of the Tawazun Economic Council; Dr. Uzi Rubin, Senior Researcher at the Jerusalem Institute of Strategy and Security; Kim, Yoon Seok, Deputy Minister Office of Military Force and Resource Management in South Korea; and Lt. General (retd) Theodoros LAGIOS HAF, General Director of General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments (GDDIA). It will be moderated by Dr. Noah Raford, Chief of Global Affairs, Dubai Future Foundation.
The conference concludes with the fourth session titled “A holistic view on Cyber Security Resiliency during the era of Digital Transformation”. Speaking at the session will be Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, and Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, AVSM, NM, Director General Naval Operations, India. It will be moderated by Dr. Bushra Al Blooshi, Head of Research and Innovation at the Dubai Electronic Security Centre.
The closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Yehya Al Marzouqi, Vice Chairman of the Conference Organising Committee, and Advisor to the CEO’s Office at Tawazun Economic Council.
Commenting on the conference, Brigadier General Khalifa Ali Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the International Defence Conference 2021, said, “We are proud to welcome global leaders in the defence industry to Abu Dhabi. Through these sessions, participants will be able to discuss developments across defence, security, and technology, looking to strengthen defence systems and infrastructure. In short, this conference enables the global sector to adopt the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
Saeed Bin Khadim Al Mansoori, Executive Director at Capital Events, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company, commented, “Our nation has earned the confidence of the international community as a safe global destination. We have proactively handled the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to contain the risk of its spread. Now, the UAE is ready to host the world, once again. As we look to welcome delegates from across the globe, ADNEC will implement a wide range of measures which ensure that conference participants and delegates remain safe, following leading international standards.”
All those attending IDEX, NAVDEX, and the IDC will be required to have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before entering either the conference or the exhibitions. In addition, social distancing measures and the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) is being mandated across exhibitions and conference facilities.