Following the successful inaugural event in 2022, World Defense Show (WDS) announced that Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is once again renewing its status as National Strategic Partner in a deal spanning the show’s next three editions.
The partnership follows recent news from the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) announcing the return of WDS for a second edition under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. This builds on the momentum of the Show, which was a highly successful endeavor in its inaugural edition, particularly in terms of the billion-dollar announcements made and strategic partnerships signed.
As a national defense champion, SAMI’s objectives are aligned with World Defense Show’s efforts to support localizing more than 50% of our defense spending by 2030, as outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030.
To drive the Kingdom’s strategic autonomy and economic diversification, SAMI will leverage the platform provided by WDS to demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s defense capabilities to an audience of key local and global industry stakeholders, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Founded by Saudi Arabia’s defense sector regulator, the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), WDS aspires to lead the global stage for innovation and technological advancement in defense across five key domains: air, land, sea, space and security. The second edition will take place between 4-8 February 2024 in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
The event, covering every sector and tier of the defense industry, will deliver networking programs with high-profile attendees, live air and ground displays of advanced defense solutions, and knowledge-sharing segments that will generate opportunities for local and global defense industries at the center of global supply chains.
Commenting on the defense manufacturer’s desired outcomes from this partnership, SAMI’s Chief Communication and Support Services Officer, Wael AlSarhan said: “Our commitment to supporting GAMI in establishing a self-reliant indigenous defense industries sector, and driving the achievement of the overarching Vision 2030 target of localizing more than 50% of defense spending, is at the heart of SAMI’s strategy, and we are always keen to explore opportunities to advance these goals.”
“The continued partnership with WDS establishes avenues for collaboration across the global defense sector as the Kingdom bolsters local capabilities and scales up local capacities. This positions the show as the ideal platform to connect this growing sector with market leaders from across the world, and create opportunities to collaborate, transfer technology and knowledge, create jobs, and attract foreign investment with GAMI orchestrating all of these initiatives and efforts,” he added.
Amanda Stainer, WDS CCO, also took the opportunity to comment on this occasion, stating: “We welcome the continuation of our partnership with SAMI, an industry giant in the Kingdom and a champion in World Defense Show’s mission to showcase the future of defense. As a platform, WDS is here to connect SMEs to primes, countries to regions, and regions to global markets - driving forward the commercial and strategic benefits that collaboration brings and offering integrated solutions for the entire ecosystem. Partnering with SAMI supports the show’s focus on the future of technology and innovation across all domains to the international defense community.”
Through the National Strategic Partnership between World Defense Show and SAMI, the global defense community has a bridge to local, regional, and international defense entities. This world-class show offers visitors and participants unique opportunities to enhance and build their relationships with key ecosystem stakeholders and provide direct access to decision makers within Saudi defense industry.
