GAMI Presents Growth Strategy for Saudi Military Sector in USSABC Webinar

The U.S.-Saudi Business Council (USSBC) and the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) presented an executive virtual webinar on June 23, 2021 entitled “Understanding Saudi Arabia’s Military Industry Growth Strategy”.

Moderated by USSBC President and CEO, H. Delano Roosevelt, the webinar provided participating U.S. company representatives with an understanding of the Kingdom’s blossoming defense and security sector.

H.E. Ahmad Al Ohali, Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries, and the event’s featured speaker, highlighted GAMI’s role in developing the Kingdom’s military industry sector and provided an overview of the national military industry strategy, Industrial Participation Program (IPP) and the role of research & technology in Saudi Arabia’s defense strategy.

GAMI was established in August 2017 to grow the Kingdom’s military industries sector, in line with the Vision 2030 target of localizing more than 50% of defense expenditures by 2030. GAMI is the regulator, enabler and licensor of the sector and is responsible for its development and empowerment.

Since the launch of Vision 2030 just five years ago, Saudi Arabia has achieved significant socio-economic milestones, while showing tremendous progress in transforming many key sectors of the Kingdom’s economy.

As a result of GAMI’s commitment to its mandate, the military industries sector has rapidly transformed and is now on a steady path to become a major contributor to Saudi Arabia’s non-oil GDP. In just a few years, the sector’s localization rates have more than doubled to 8% of total expenditure, according toGovernor Al Ohali.

Governor Al Ohali emphasized the breadth of opportunities Saudi Arabia’s defense localization presents to global investors and U.S. defense partners. Development of the military industries sector requires a whole ecosystem of research and technology institutions, a skilled workforce and other support functions in addition to local production capabilities, he noted.

Mr. Roosevelt recalled the long history of cooperation between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and predicted the U.S. will continue to play a dominant role in supporting the Kingdom through future strategic relationships. He added that the U.S.-Saudi Business Council will also continue its roles of facilitating connections between U.S. and Saudi companies and educating U.S. businesses about the benefit of engaging in the Saudi market.