Gulf Defence Conference 2011 To Focus on Emerging Threats and Novel Technologies For GCC Defence and Security

Abu Dhabi, 2nd February: Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) today announced the agenda for the Gulf Defence Conference (GDC) to be held at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club (AFOC) in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 19^th February 2011, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

The GDC, organised by INEGMA (Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis) on behalf of ADNEC, is the official conference of IDEX – the Middle East & North Africa region’s largest tri-service defence show.

With the GCC region investing heavily in defence and security to protect from continuing security concerns across the region, the 2011 Gulf Defence Conference has been designed to examine some of the latest trends whilst also taking a fresh look at some of the more intractable challenges.

The GDC plenary sessions will be delivered by international experts and include an examination of: The evolution of network-centric operations; Enhancing and developing civil-military relations for the asymmetric warfare environment, and; Future artillery – striking the right balance in mobility, reactivity and firepower.

This will be followed by a session that will take a closer look at the latest trends in naval warfare including: Low intensity surface and underwater naval warfare and the potential challenges faced by GCC states; UAVs in sea operations for offensive and defensive missions, and; Harnessing new technologies for countermining operations.

Finally, moving from operations to approaches to improving force readiness, the third and final session will look at: The evolving role of close-in air support in Joint combat operations; Building modern armoured vehicles by maintaining the triangular balance of protection, mobility and firepower, and; Simulated training - the evolving and future role of technology in infantry and armour training.

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Riad Kahwaji, CEO, INEGMA said: “INEGMA would like to thank the UAE Armed Forces GHQ for its support in turning GDC into the biggest defence conference in the region. We also appreciate the confidence ADNEC has put into INEGMA. GDC will be a wonderful precursor to IDEX 2011 with a lot of VIPs confirmed as speakers and attendees.”

The previous edition of the Gulf Defence Conference held in 2009, attracted over 133 delegates from 24 countries. This year, more than 400 delegates are expected to attend including members of the official delegations visiting IDEX 2011, senior military officials, and key industry partners from across the GCC.

With a line-up of authoritative and internationally acclaimed speakers from the Arab and wider sub-continental region as well as the West, the 2011 Gulf Defence Conference will be essential attendance for anyone seeking to understand the fast changing defence and security environment in which they are working, whether from government, industry, the military or academia.