المملكة: On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Minister of Defense opens the World Defense Exhibition
Sponsored by The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and on his behalf – may God protect him -, His Royal Highness inaugurated Prince Khaled bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Minister of DefenseDeputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Military Industries in Riyadh, third edition of The World Defense Exhibition, which is organized by the General Authority for Military Industries, and extends until February 12.
He was received upon his arrival at the exhibition headquarters by His Highness Prince Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad bin Ayyaf, Deputy Minister of Defense, Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the World Defense Exhibition, Eng. Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, and Eng. Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamid Al-Ruwaili, and Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Hussein Al-Biyari, and a number of officials.
The opening ceremony began with the playing of the Royal Anthem, after which M. Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali delivered a speech in which he expressed his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Military Industries – may God protect them – for the continuous generous sponsorship of the exhibition since its launch in 2022, and for the great support for all areas of the military and defense industries in the Kingdom.
He appreciated the honor of the Minister of Defense in opening the exhibition, and also welcomed the exhibition. In attendance, and with senior officials from brotherly and friendly countries, and the defense and security industry audience from the Kingdom and the world.
A platform for manufacturers, innovators, and investors
Al-Ohali indicated in his speech that the exhibition has made great strides until it has become a strategic platform in which major manufacturers, innovators, and investors gather, reflecting the unlimited support that the defense, security, and military industries sectors enjoy from the wise leadership within the framework of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
He stated that among the goals of such exhibitions are the exchange of knowledge, the development of technology transfer, and exposure to modern technologies in the field of military industries to benefit from them in developing and advancing forces to be able to confront potential threats.
He stated that the concerned authorities in the Kingdom made every effort to ensure that the third edition of the exhibition was at a level that achieves the desired goals and reflects the development that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is experiencing in all fields, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister – may God protect them -.
At the end of his speech, he renewed his welcome to everyone, wishing continued success and success to all attendees and participants in this edition in order to achieve their aspirations from this exhibition.
The future of the defense and security industry
After that, the Minister of Defense and the attendees watched a visual presentation of the opening of the third edition of the World Defense Exhibition, and then the exhibition guests witnessed the air shows and static displays.
The Ministers of Defense and senior officials from Brotherly and friendly countries, on the main stage of the ceremony, during which talks were exchanged about the future of the defense and security industry, and the opportunities available at the exhibition were praised.
Then the Minister of Defense toured the facilities and halls of the exhibition, which witnessed the participation of more than 1,486 entities from 89 countries, in addition to many government agencies and major national and international companies.
During his tour of the exhibition, he inaugurated the Saudi Military Industries (SAMI) pavilion, the Sami Ground Systems Company, and the Sami Systems Industrial Complex. ground, and the HEET armored vehicles project.
He also inaugurated the Sami Unmanned Systems Company, and the Rukn program, which deals with local content in the military industries sector and supporting supply chains.
Then he headed to the air zone, where a memorial photo was taken of him with the Saudi Falcons team, and he also signed an aircraft. "Hawk T165"
Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding
After that, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of National Defense of Korea witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the General Authority for Defense Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Defense Development Agency of the Republic of Korea in the field of defense research, development and innovation of defense and military technologies and systems.
After that, the Minister of Defense signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic Robert Kalinac between the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic for cooperation in The field of defence.
He also signed an agreement with the Malaysian Minister of Defense, Mohamed Khaled Nour Al-Din, for cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Malaysia in the field of defence, and he also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Ahmed Moalim Faki, for cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic of Somalia in the military field.
Advancement of the defense and security industry
The Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries stressed on this occasion that this support and this generous sponsorship are a great motivation. To advance the defense and security industry sector in the Kingdom towards global leadership, in order to achieve military readiness, enhance transparency and efficiency of spending, and contribute to the creation of a sustainable local military industries sector, supported by advanced management of supply chains, and integrated with all security and military agencies.
He appreciated the support of the wise leadership for the efforts made to localize the military industries sector, in accordance with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to localize more than 50% of military spending by 2030, The fruits of this support began to be reaped with an increase in the rate of localization of military spending from 4% in 2018 to approximately 25% by the end of 2024, towards the localization of more than 50% of military spending by 2030.
He indicated that the number of licensed and authorized facilities by the end of the third quarter of 2025 amounted to about 344 facilities, in addition to 603 licenses and institutional permits that include the fields of military manufacturing and product supply. And the provision of military services.
He stressed the authority’s endeavor for the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product by 2030 to reach about 94 billion riyals, which will contribute to providing many job opportunities by 2030, amounting to 40,000 direct job opportunities and 60,000 indirect job opportunities.
He pointed out in his statement that the exhibition represents a strategic tool that supports the Kingdom’s endeavors towards achieving Saudization goals, as it provides an ideal environment for communication and interaction among participants, with the aim of strengthening international partnerships. In the defense and security sectors, in order to achieve national goals by supporting the transfer and localization of technologies, developing national competencies, building industrial capabilities, and strengthening supply chains.
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