Major General Abdullah Al Hashmi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support at the UAE Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Major General Ishaq Al Baloushi, Director for Industrial Development at the Ministry of Defense (MoD), hosted on Monday an air power industry reception at the UAE Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel.
Major General Al Hashmi and Major General Al Baloushi met with senior executives from leading industry partners including Emirates Defense Industries Company (EDIC) Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Textron, Dassault Aviation, MBDA, Saab, Thales, Rockwell Collins, Rolls Royce, L3, Diehl, Harris, ATK Orbital and Bell Helicopters, to discuss ways to enhance partnerships and cooperation between the UAE Armed Forces, UAE defense industries, and industry partners from around the world.
Major General Al Hashmi and Major General Al Baloushi also briefed attendees on the Dubai Air Show 2017, and the 8th Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference (DIAC 2017), scheduled to be held on November 11, 2017 in Dubai, UAE.
DIAC 2017 is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Defense Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and is fully supported by the MoD and the UAE Air Force and Air Defense (AFAD).
DIAC 2017 convenes one the largest gathering of air force chiefs, policymakers, industry partners and academics anywhere in the world. This year's edition of DIAC is especially important given its focus on the future of air power and exploiting advances in network-centric warfare.
Thanking industry partners for their participation, Major General Al Hashmi and Major General Al Baloushi stressed the importance of partnerships and cooperation with industry partners to ensure both balance and vision for the development of future air power capabilities.
He further recognized the importance of the relationship between industry and the UAE government and stressed that through cooperation on initiatives such as DIAC how parties could raise the profile of shared issues and challenges.
Following the industry reception, Textron Systems and MBDA announced their continued support to and participation at DIAC 2017 as Associate Sponsors. Several other leading industry partners are expected to announce their participation in DIAC 2017 in the coming days.
Specialized Events and General Marketing Activities (SEGMA) was selected to organize DIAC 2015. SEGMA is an event organizer and management firm based in Dubai, UAE, which is in the process of taking over events and events-related activities previously owned, managed, and run by INEGMA.
