With a very successful third foray into Abu Dhabi for an Electronic Warfare (EW) Conference under the patronage of the UAE Electronic Warfare Command, EW GCC can justifiably claim to have come of age.

The attendance of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, alongside UAE Armed Forces personnel and delegates from 14 nations swelled the numbers to 300, more than justifying the aspirations of the 8 Sponsor Companies and Exhibitors (which was deliberately limited to a total of 20). 

A comprehensive program, matching delegates to companies, ensured a worthwhile result in ‘Connecting Business’.

A discerning UAE customer encouraged the inclusion of a broader base of subjects including Cyber Warfare and Directed Energy Weapons (delivered by local speakers) and complimentary presentations on Counter-IED from the NATO Communication and Information Agency and Captain Nathan Blencowe Royal Engineers, part of the team training the Afghan National Army.

Contributions from Wg Cdr John Clifford RAF (Rtd), Director of  AOC Global Operations (and President of the UK Chapter)  and Dr Sami Al Humaidi Managing Director, Prince Sultan Advanced Technologies Research Institute, Saudi Arabia (that country’s AOC President) introduced a fresh  dimension.

UAE EW Command has an intensive program of development for its personnel, (both in-house and overseas), resulting in an attentive and well informed audience. Company presentations coupled with VIP events ensured Networking at a high level, introducing EW products and capabilities to key opinion formers from across the region. 

For Tangent Link, the event organiser, this positive exposure promises to bring an expansion of its Defence & Aerospace conferences across the region.