Under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Defense and with the support of the UAE Armed Forces, the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) held the second edition of the Middle East Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Conference - MEISR on February 5, 2012 at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi, UAE.


MEISR was attended by senior military and political leaders and diplomats of the countries of the region and the world, as well as senior officials and military attaches, experts and managers of defense companies in the region.

Major General Mohammed Al-Essa of the UAE Ministry of Defense, gave the keynote speech stating: "We meet here today under one roof to discuss one of the most important and delicate military topics with minimum efforts and minimum losses possible on both civil and military sides. We are also here to listen to specialists and to learn more about their latest expertise and solutions in this field. We will also study the recommendations that came as a result in this conference where we all share a common vision in combating global terror and spreading international peace and stability."

He added: "We, in the United Arab Emirates work under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on seeking to develop our defense capabilities. We do not only seek advanced techniques that will help us achieve our goal but we also look forward to gaining experience and through communications, with our brothers and friendly countries, exchange experiences with them through these kinds of conferences and through joint exercises and meetings."

The first session was chaired by Major General (Ret) Khaled Abdullah Al Bu Ainnain, Former Commander, UAE Air Force and Air Defense and President of INEGMA.

The second session was chaired by Mr. Bruno Monfils, President, Center of Excellence and Development, United Arab Emirates.

The third session was chaired by Joseph J. Ensor of Northrop Grumman.

The conference ended with 2 specialized closed workshops. The first workshop explored: "The Closely Related Movement Across the Community with ISR Capabilities Merging with Targeting Systems."

The second workshop examined: "Effective Exploitation of ISR in Real Time for the Tactical/Urban Environment."

MEISR 2012 sponsors included: Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Baynuna Defense.