World Defense Show reaffirms Strategic Partnership with SAMI until 2028

The partnership follows recent news from the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) announcing the return of WDS for a second edition under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. This builds on the momentum of the Show, which was a highly successful endeavour in its inaugural edition, particularly in terms of the billion-dollar announcements made and strategic partnerships signed.

SAMI’s objectives are aligned with World Defense Show’s efforts to support localising more than 50% of our defence spending by 2030, as outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030. To drive the Kingdom’s strategic autonomy and economic diversification, SAMI will leverage the platform provided by WDS to demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s defence capabilities to an audience of key local and global industry stakeholders.

Founded by Saudi Arabia’s defence sector regulator, the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), WDS aspires to lead the global stage for innovation and technological advancement in defence across five key domains: air, land, sea, space and security. The second edition will take place between 4-8 February 2024 in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. The event, covering every sector and tier of the defence industry, will deliver networking programs with high-profile attendees, live air and ground displays of advanced defence solutions, and knowledge-sharing segments that will generate opportunities for local and global defence industries at the centre of global supply chains.

SAMI’s chief communication and support services officer, Wael AlSarhan said: “Our commitment to supporting GAMI in establishing a self-reliant indigenous defence industries sector, and driving the achievement of the overarching Vision 2030 target of localising more than 50% of defence spending, is at the heart of SAMI’s strategy, and we are always keen to explore opportunities to advance these goals. The continued partnership with WDS establishes avenues for collaboration across the global defence sector as the Kingdom bolsters local capabilities and scales up local capacities. This positions the show as the ideal platform to connect this growing sector with market leaders from across the world, and create opportunities to collaborate, transfer technology and knowledge, create jobs, and attract foreign investment with GAMI orchestrating all of these initiatives and efforts.”