The Deputy Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries for the industrial sector, Eng. Qassim bin Abdul Ghani Al-Maimani, inaugurated the authority’s pavilion participating in the second Saudi International Maritime Forum, which will be held in Jeddah from November 15 to 17, 2022.

The Deputy Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries for the industrial sector, Eng. Qassim bin Abdul Ghani Al-Maimani, inaugurated the authority’s pavilion participating in the second Saudi International Maritime Forum, which will be held in Jeddah from November 15 to 17, 2022.

The Deputy Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries for the industrial sector, Eng. Qassim bin Abdul Ghani Al-Maimani, inaugurated the authority’s pavilion participating in the second Saudi International Maritime Forum, which will be held in Jeddah from November 15 to 17, 2022.

The Deputy Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries for the industrial sector, Eng. Qassim bin Abdul Ghani Al-Maimani, inaugurated the authority’s pavilion participating in the second Saudi International Maritime Forum, which will be held in Jeddah from November 15 to 17, 2022.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has concluded its participation at Farnborough International Airshow (FIA 2022). The 5-day show was held in the United Kingdom, and witnessed wide-scale participation from across the globe.

Under the national “Invest Saudi”, the KSA Pavilion was organized and led by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI). It comprised GAMI, the Saudi Ministry of Investment, the World Defense Show (WDS), and the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI). The Pavilion garnered impressive interest from a wide array of air domain and defense industrialists, specialists & subject matter experts, high-level governmental representatives, global and institutional investors, and visitors. Saudi Arabia capitalized on this unique opportunity to present the latest developments in the Kingdom’s defense sector, and the wealth of sizeable defense opportunities and incentives available to global investors.

Inaugurating the KSA Pavilion was H.E. Ahmad Al-Ohali, GAMI Governor, with notable high-level representation in attendance amongst defense leaders. In his address, Al-Ohali affirmed that the KSA Pavilion at FIA 2022 serves as a continuation of GAMI’s commitment to enabling the defense sector, and its realization of the overarching targets set forth by Vision 2030. Particularly, GAMI aspires, via clear and concise measures, to foster meaningful partnerships, actively engage with international investors keen on the Kingdom’s defense sector, and expound on the sector’s many lucrative investment opportunities. Moreover, it is vital to the Kingdom’s defense sector regulator to elaborate on the various initiatives, reforms, and programs championed by GAMI and explicitly custom-tailored to incentive potential investors. As for the core message delivered to global stakeholders: It has truly never been easier to join a journey of localization empowered by digital transformation, and fastened with a sincere and strategic focus on ease of doing business via streamlined agile processes, as well as always maintaining thoughtful thorough consideration of the “win-win.”

Complimenting this KSA Pavilion participation, were several key strategic announcements made by Saudi Arabia, chief of which was the announcement on the defense sector localization rate, which soared from 2% in 2018 to 11.7% in 2021. A multitude of defense platforms and capabilities were localized over this period, all contributing to enhancing operational readiness and strategic autonomy, via strategic and sustainable partnership building. The overarching goal: localizing more than 50% of expenditure on defense equipment and services, by the year 2030.

Yet another announcement made by Saudi Arabia at its KSA Pavilion was that of Establishment Permits (EPs) & Industrial Licenses. As of end of June 2022, GAMI had issued 291 Establishment Permits to 174 establishments. Of these, 41% were defense establishments (i.e. those solely offering defense products and/or services). As for supporting & adjacent industries (i.e. those offering products and/or services with both defense and civil applications), they accounted for 42%, while 17% corresponded to trade establishments. GAMI has indeed been working diligently and attentively to attract local, regional, and global investors, leveraging a bouquet of incentives strategically structured to maximize investor ROIs. Amongst these, are financing Non-Recurring Expenses (NREs) associated with strategic military projects and technologies, via cash grants and low-interest loans. Other incentives include VAT exemption for locally manufactured products, provision of industrial lands at discounted rates, generous advanced payments on defense contracts to incentivize investment in the sector, and a slew of regulatory and policy reforms specifically enforced to streamline and facilitate the investor journey.

On the agreements and international partnerships front, the KSA Pavilion also had much to share with the global defense community. SAMI for example, the national champion and wholly owned PIF subsidiary, announced that SAMI Aerospace has signed an agreement with Airbus Helicopter Arabia, the MENA arm of Airbus Global, for providing rotorcraft technical support to the Royal Saudi Armed forces, and building indigenous capabilities. SAMI also announced that SAMI Composites, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, has signed an agreement with leading aerospace company Lockheed Martin to develop a composites manufacturing center of excellence in Riyadh with the support of GAMI, to boost Saudi Arabia’s indigenous aerospace manufacturing capabilities. Lastly, SAMI announced that it has signed a number of major agreements with the leading Singaporean defense technology group ST Engineering, supporting SAMI in producing cutting-edge defense systems pursuant to executing its development and growth strategies, whilst also providing technical support and training.

The participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in global defense and security shows like FIA 2022, falls within GAMI’s official mandate, wherein GAMI is tasked with leading and organizing international participations, in close collaboration and coordination with its valued public and private sector partners, with the categorical intention of underpinning the investment opportunities born by the sector. In realization of its overarching goal of localizing more than 50% of expenditure on defense equipment and services by the year 2030, GAMI fosters, nurtures, and cultivates strategic partnerships with its various stakeholder groups within the global defense ecosystem. These key global partners include governmental and defense entities, global industry OEMs, and even Research Institutes & Universities. The intention of GAMI is regulate, localize, and enable defense industries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whilst attracting investors from across the globe to the Kingdom, for a sustainably safer and brighter future for generations to come.

The General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) has announced today in the World Defense Show, its approval of two localization projects: the first, for localizing the manufacture of missile interceptor launchers, and the second for producing the missile interceptor canisters locally. In collaboration with Lockheed Martin, these projects fall under the program for localization of the THAAD Weapon System.
Such projects serve GAMI’s strategy to bolster relations with its international partners from across the globe along the Kingdom’s localization journey, with the ultimate target of localizing more than 50% of expenditure on defense equipment and services by the year 2030.
Commenting on this momentous announcement, Gasem Al-Maimani, GAMI Deputy Governor of Military Industry, stated that these two localization projects, are in further service of this promising sector’s national priorities. Along this localization journey, and with the robust relations with our international defense partners, air domain defense readiness is expected to be greatly enhanced, said Al-Maimani. He further noted that this project supports investment in building indigenous national capabilities, via empowering new and up-and-coming manufacturing entities, as well as leveraging the integration of efforts with large national companies, to secure their position of prominence globally. Ultimately, all of this facilitation and enablement, pours into achieving the sector’s strategic localization target of more than 50%, and amplifying the scope and impact of existing capabilities, by 2030.
“For over 50 years, Lockheed Martin has been a committed partner to Saudi Arabia, as the country continues its journey toward ensuring a safe, secure and sustainable future for its people,” said Joseph Rank, chief executive for Lockheed Martin in Saudi Arabia and Africa. “Along with state-of-the-art defense products and innovative solutions, Lockheed Martin is engaged with its Saudi partners across several capacity building programs that are formulated to contribute to the realization of the country’s development goals. This announcement will significantly boost global and regional security while supporting job creation and economic prosperity in Saudi Arabia.”
GAMI looks to secure its core national priorities, namely Military Readiness, Strategic Autonomy, Transparency and Efficiency of Spend, Sustainability of Local Military Industries, and Interoperability within and across Entities.

Under the patronage of Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show will open its first-ever edition tomorrow with an expected  30,000 visitors attending throughout the four-day show, from 6th to 9th March 2022.

Founded by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), World Defense Show – set to be held every two years – will accelerate the future of the industry by showcasing the latest technological developments from around the globe, demonstrating defense interoperability across all major domains – air, land, sea, space and security systems.

Across the four trade days, high-level delegations from dozens of countries will visit stands and pavilions featuring products and demonstrations from hundreds of global and local exhibitors.

His Excellency Ahmad  Al-Ohali, Governor of GAMI, said: “The 6th of March will mark an important milestone in the Kingdom’s journey towards localizing 50% of its military expenditure by 2030. We have seen overwhelming global interest for participating at World Defense Show’s first edition and we look forward to providing a conducive environment for networking and cross-border partnerships to drive innovation in the industry.

“There has never been a better time to partner with Saudi Arabia’s defense and security ecosystem as we continue to transform a nascent industry with immense potential. Our doors are open to international manufacturers and service providers who share our vision for technology transfer, talent development and defense industrialization.”

Andrew Pearcey, CEO, World Defense Show, said: “World Defense Show is envisioned to be one of the world’s best defense and security events, providing a world-class meeting environment with unprecedented networking programs. The level of international demand is unlike anything we have seen before in the industry and that is testament to Saudi Arabia’s position as a key market for the industry and its vision to support economic growth through developing the defense sector. We look forward to inspiring conversations about the future of defense among visitors, delegations and exhibitors from over 80 countries.”

World Defense Show is tailored to provide a unique platform for networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the discovery of new innovations. A tailored Meet the Buyer program will host up to 600 meetings, connecting buyers and suppliers, from companies that cover all major areas of the global defense industry, through pre-arranged, face-to-face meetings. Another flagship networking program is World Defense Show’s Meet the KSA Government Program, highlighting opportunities in Saudi Arabia for investors to meet with key local defense players and learn more about the industry’s strategy, objectives, tendering and procurement guidelines as well as partnership requirements.

Spanning across an 800,000 sqm site World Defense Show features three large exhibition halls, outdoor exhibit spaces, a dedicated interoperability demonstration area, a purpose-built 3KM-long runway and space for static aircraft.

Running up to six times per day, an interactive and immersive Command & Control Center will feature a 20-minute show simulating the future of interoperability at the highest levels. World Defense Show’s dedicated Start-Up Zone will host the latest technologies driven by small and medium companies from around the world – playing host to an exclusive networking environment to introduce SME products to industry decision-makers, investors and venture capital firms.

Daily themed panel discussions and keynote presentations will introduce the audience to insights giving rise to the technologies exhibited at World Defense Show. Key Saudi entities that are developing the Kingdom’s industry and economy will deliver sessions that offer insights into Saudi Arabia’s defense industry transformation.

On International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2022, leading women in defense will gather at a special event to celebrate, promote, and accelerate participation in the defense industry. The full-day event will feature keynote presentations and interactive panel discussions, to advocate for, and connect with the diverse voices of today’s defense community.

The final day of the show will open its doors to 5,000 talented Saudi students from the Kingdom’s best STEM institutions for the Future Talent Program. The program will connect participants to career opportunities and apprenticeship programs in the defense and security sectors, offering young professionals valuable advice to kickstart and progress their careers.

The General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) launched today the Military Industry Human Capital (MIHC) strategy for the Kingdom’s defense sector. The launch event was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh. In attendance for the event, were a number of key Excellencies amongst Ministers and leaders from both the Government and private sector.

His Excellency GAMI Governor Ahmad Al-Ohali opened with a keynote, in which he acknowledged the unmitigated support of the nation’s leadership, and its unrelenting custodianship of the sector, as an embodiment of its aspirational vision of enhancing the Kingdom’s strategic autonomy. As for the ultimate goal, it is to achieve localization of more than 50% of expenditure on defense equipment and services, by the year 2030. A goal that is expected to be reached by focusing on developing industries, research and technology, national competencies, job creation for Saudi’s youth, and an increased contribution from the sector to the national economy.

Al-Ohali extended his deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the two holy mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, HRH Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and HRH Prince Khalid Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Deputy Defense Minister, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. He also thanked the esteemed members of GAMI’s Board of Directors, for their mentorship, guidance, and decree to approve the strategy, noting that their continued commitment to realizing the targeted outcomes of this promising sector’s ambitious strategy is crucial along this aspirational localization journey.

Al-Ohali went on to note that the MIHC strategy effectively erects and enables a system to stimulate the cultivation, development, and empowerment of national cadres. In fact, the human capital strategy is a direct derivative of the localization strategy for industry and R&D in the sector, to assure the readiness and sustainability of qualified human capital pursuant to achieving the sector’s localization targets via 3 core Programs: Educational and Training Programs, Enablement Policies Programs, and Guidance and Counselling Programs, wherein GAMI as always works closely with its ecosystem partners to secure the requirements of broad-scale development. The desired outcome is molding and refining know-how and capabilities deemed requisite in domains and specialties of relevance to the defense sector. In this context, Al-Ohali explained how the MIHC is expected to harmonize educational and training programs at university and vocational levels, with the desired outcome of attracting experienced cadres with niche expertise to the Kingdom’s defense sector, thereby bridging the requisite skills gap by focusing on more than 800 skills from which 172 job domains emerge.

Lastly, Al-Ohali revealed that the MIHC strategy’s Programs comprise certain priority initiatives, chief of which is establishing a specialized national defense Academy in coordination and collaboration with the entities operating in the sector, with several other initiatives already developed to satisfy the sector’s targeted need.

“Ministerial Panels”

The launch event comprised 3 Panels, beginning with a ministerial panel: “Government’s support to develop the human capital ecosystem in this key Vision 2030 priority sector”, and its panelists were H.E. Khalid Al Faleh, Minister of Investment, H.E. Ahmad Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and H.E. Bandar Al-Khorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources. The panel discussed the Kingdom’s promising investment opportunities, the regulatory reforms needed to facilitate establishing effective and meaningful partnerships, filling the gaps in the Kingdom’s market across a number of fields amongst which is defense, developing the value ecosystem in the defense sector marketplace, not to mention rehabilitation of cadres with skillsets that are non-conformant with the sector’s needs.

“Empowering National Cadres”

As for the 2nd Panel: “How the military industries sector offers a diverse range of career paths”, its panelists were H.E. Khalid Al-Sabti, Chairman of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), H.E. Lt. Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, H.E. Ahmad Al-Ohali, Governor of GAMI, and H.E. Ahmed Al-Fuhaid, Governor of Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). It tackled the challenge of developing and facilitating the focal element of human capital, and the reverberations of this focus on the sector as a whole, not to mention the importance of sharpening skill, talent, and expertise via dedicated technical and vocational programs.

“Accelerating Progress and Development”

The 3rd and final Panel: “How education, training and development support the military industry’s human capital to prepare locals for working in the defense industry for private companies” included Dr. Muhammad M. Al-Saggaf, President of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Turki Al-Jawini, GM of Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), Walid Abukhaled, CEO of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), and Brigadier General (Retired) Joseph Rank, President of Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia. The discussion touched on the pertinence of the strategy to enabling progress in the sector via aligning educational outcomes with the sector’s needs, shaping and molding national cadres in various sectors and in the defense sector specifically, establishing high quality specialized training programs that serve the sector, and building meaningful partnerships with relevant sectors to develop human capital that is qualified to lead the sector in the future.

“Agreements and Partnerships”

As a crucial byproduct of the MIHC strategy launch event, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed involving development and enablement of human capital in the sector. A triparty MoU was signed between the Ministry of Investment (MISA), GAMI, and the UK-based Cranfield University, while a second MoU was signed between GAMI and Leonardo Company to further exploit defense-specific investment opportunities in education and training. Such partnerships allow amplification of joint cooperation, close collaboration, refining academic programs and curricula, offering scholarship and internship opportunities, and even creating new disciplines and fields of study.