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2017-09-07

A record-breaking DSEI for 2017

In an age of complex challenges and global uncertainty, international allies must collaborate to protect mutual strategic interests and maintain robust defence and security capabilities. Once, state defence departments would support military requirements internally, but now they must look further afield to international knowledge and skills transfer. The Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition (DSEI) is therefore the key to strategic cooperation between global players. As the world’s leading defence and security conference, DSEI will be celebrating its tenth birthday when it returns to London’s ExCeL centre on September 12–15. This year, senior military representatives from Italy, Germany, Australia and Canada will join all four UK Service Chiefs in a specialist seminar programme, providing an opportunity for visitors to learn directly from the world’s leading powers.

DSEI will welcome some 2500 international delegations from traditional and emerging defence and security markets, including VIP representation from the Middle and Far East where new opportunities are developing in maturing defence forces. The biennial event will play host to 1,600 exhibitors, with more than 34,000 global visitors expected, including military and government officials, academia and industry representatives.

The DSEI Strategic Conference programme has been enhanced to meet growing demand to learn from and engage with expert speakers on five main topics: Land Capability, Air Capability, Maritime Capability, The Future of Military Rotorcraft and Trauma Innovation & Military Medicine. Seminar speakers will be appearing all week in dedicated theatres, including Major General Kathryn Toohey, Head Land Capability from the Australian Army and Michael Garrety of the London Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, while the Australian government’s Department of Defence and officials from the Royal Australian Navy will also be present.

A vibrant Middle Eastern presence

The DSEI exhibition floor will play host to over 40 international pavilions ranging from Australia to Norway, the United States to the People’s Republic of Korea. The pavilions have expanded and multiplied to reflect the growing global marketplace and several national pavilions will make their debut this year providing a regional hub of defence and security expertise with Bulgaria, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia as newcomers. Poland has more than quadrupled its presence to accommodate more local industry and expertise while Austria and Italy have nearly doubled in size and the Czech Republic has grown by more than 50 per cent since DSEI 2015.

The continuing dynamic growth of the Middle East’s economies presents defence and security suppliers with significant opportunities. The U.S. may remain the biggest military spender, accounting for a solid third of global expenditure, but the Middle East is one of the fastest growing regions with defence spending returned to growth in the region and expected to rise to almost $180 billion by 2020.

UAE Pavilion

Clarion Events has also focused on developing DSEI’s engagement programme with defence and security industries from the Middle East reflecting the region’s growing requirements and capabilities. This year’s event will feature a UAE Pavilion for the first time since 2013 alongside an influx of Middle Eastern exhibitors in the DSEI’s Air, Land, Naval, Security and Joint Zones. A selection of the companies exhibiting include TAWAZUN, International Armoured Group, NIMR (sponsoring the Land Zone), Nation Shield – the official journal of UAE Armed Forces, Etimad, Atlas Group, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, Emirates Neon Group, Elmo Motion Control and International Golden Group.

Turkish Pavilion

Other news is that the Turkish pavilion at DSEI has expanded significantly this year in line with the continued development of the the Turkish defence industry, whose annual turnover topped $6 billion in 2016 with total annual exports of over $1.68 billion. The Turkish Under-secretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) reports that in 2016 over 500 companies added nearly 3000 military products to the Turkish defence industry portfolio.

Finland

Representing Europe, Finland’s presence continues to increase with a dedicated pavilion and 10 exhibiting companies, including Bittium Wireless, a secure communications provider who signed a EUR 30 million (US$35.1 million) Framework Agreement with the Finnish Defence Forces earlier this month. The Finnish government has announced a 20% boost to its military strength against a background of increasing regional tensions, raising its annual military spending by €55 million (£47 million) over the next three years and by €150 million from 2021.

German Pavilion

In concert with the increasing defence budgets of other NATO partners, Germany’s defence budget will rise by 8% to €37 billion this year and will host over 30 companies in its pavilion indicating the renewed importance of defence spending and exports. The German defence industry will be promoting opportunities for increased collaboration following last month’s announcement that they will be committing to joint manned and unmanned air platforms with France. France continues to have a strong presence at DSEI with over 24 companies in its national pavilion and ten individual companies with stands.

Britain’s unprecedented MOD backing

This year’s DSEI is being held with the full support of the UK Government with UK Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon MP and the Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin MP delivering keynote addresses. Joined by air, groundforce and navy commanders, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC is delivering a keynote address on Wednesday 13 September in the exhibition’s West Theatre. He says:

“I very much look forward to continuing my personal support to DSEI. It provides an excellent opportunity to explore the development of airpower capability through engagement with the widest range of industry and international partners”.

Hosted by ADS, the UK pavilion has the largest floorspace this year with the Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO) presenting contemporary expeditionary and security capabilities with the participation of 36 companies. The DIT DSO Showcase will be divided into the following themed areas: Infantry Zone – soldier equipment, weapons and fighting vehicles; Artillery Zone – Find, Fix, Strike assets; Communications & ISTAR Zone – communications platforms, ECM systems and software; Engineering and Security Zone – C-IED, EOD, CBRN and security/force protection.

As Gary Whittle, Operations Managers at KNO, a first-time exhibitor at DSEI explains:

“KNO’s business is currently focused on the Gulf region, where we are bridging the gap left by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) training but OEM training is often limited to ‘Factory Training’ and does little to enhance operational capability. So we’ve formed a company utilising experienced British military personnel, which delivers bespoke training and long-term solutions to support existing capabilities and develop new ones. Ultimately, we help nations to become self-sufficient in delivering their own defence training requirements, quickly and cost effectively, and KNO is looking forward to sharing this concept at DSEI 17.”

The famous DSEI Themed Zones

The popular Air Zone is fully supported by the Royal Air Force and Joint Helicopter Command, featuring fixed, rotary wing and unmanned platforms with a capability area dedicated to the aerospace supply chain. The Zone will host a comprehensive seminar programme focused on procurement, training, export maximisation and promoting opportunities for SMEs. Companies confirmed for the Air Zone include Challenger Solutions, the Pandect Group, SABRE Global Services and Ross Aviation, alongside BAE Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, MBDA, Northrop Grumman, Thales, Cobham and QinetiQ.

Land Zone

The DSEI’s Land Zone has thrived through the years, growing by 52% since 2015, to host an array of notable military vehicles, current and future land capabilities and featuring the brand-new Dismounted Soldier Showcase. The zone is sponsored by NIMR and has the full support of the British Army and the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, who will be giving a keynote speech in the East Theatre.

Naval Zone

With its unique dockside positioning, one of DSEI’s greatest strengths is its Naval Zone, providing visitors with unrivalled networking opportunities and insights from key decision-makers in the Maritime Capability conference and dedicated seminars. DSEI offers the ability to see first-hand the latest vessels in action with interactive presentations, waterborne demonstrations and impressive visits by international warships.

Security Zone

The dedicated Security Zone will showcase systems to counter priority threats, such as cyber-attacks and terrorism, as well as an enlarged special forces and tactical equipment area. The Zone centralises the security sector’s expertise with a bespoke community to increase networking opportunities for exhibitors and visitors.

Joint Zone

Supported by Joint Forces Command, the inaugural Joint Zone will feature a broad range of global businesses provide capabilities across the Single Services, Special Forces and humanitarian organisations. Exhibitors specialise in C4ISTAR, Logistics, Medical, Robotics and Satcoms from companies such as Weibel, the Danish manufacturer of Doppler radars, Oshkosh Defense, Teledyne, Gamma Healthcare, Theon Sensors, Gamma Healthcare, Milforce Equipment and 4C Strategies.

This year’s DSEI will feature over ten impressive aircraft including two fighter jets, the SAAB Gripen and Tornado GR4, military helicopters* like the Chinook, Apache, Wildcat and Merlin, several UCAVs and two additional rotorcraft from Leonardo. This year’s event will also welcome a significant range of international naval vessels*, including:

• L.É. Samuel Beckett from the Irish Naval Service

• A Coastal Patrol Vessel from the Belgian Navy

• Royal Naval ships including a Type 23 Frigate, Minehunter, Offshore Patrol Vessel and 2 Inshore Patrol Vessels

The daily ‘waterborne’ display programme will feature exclusive demonstrations of the Survitec Group’s 7.8m rigid hull inflatable boat, the Copenhagen Group’s 13m Nunya High Speed Patrol Interceptor, the JFD Seal Delivery Unit, BAE Systems Pacific 24 rigid inflatable and the Royal Marines Offshore Raiding Crafts.

Medical innovations have become a significant of DSEI, showcasing the very latest in medical and operational practise from professionals on the front line, including the novel CitizenAid app, developed by UK MOD’s award-winning Defence Medical Services. Visitors will be given exclusive live demonstrations of how the app can be used by the public to apply medical procedures during a terrorist attack.

DSEI to launch an “Innovation Hub”

This year’s Joint Zone will also house an Innovation Hub to demonstrate how emerging technologies not originally envisioned for defence or security are now ripe for development in these sectors. This new feature reflects the growing number of highly skilled people, solutions and applications from sectors beyond the DSEI’s traditional exhibitor base.

Last year, the MOD’s Defence Innovation Initiative launched an £800 million Defence Innovation Fund to enable the delivery of smart technology, establishing the Defence and Security Accelerator to provide a bridge between government, industry and academia. The Innovation Hub is supported by jHub, the new Joint Forces Command initiative for identifying and exploiting technologies and solutions across a range of applications.

Air Vice Marshal Bruce Hedley MBE MA RAF, Director Joint Warfare explains:

“Joint Forces Command delivers the most diverse range of services in UK Defence; from logistics, medical services, education, communications, cyber-security, intelligence, analytics, to unmanned systems. To access leading innovations, and adapt and adopt existing solutions to meet our challenges, we have set up the jHub innovation centre in London’s Tech City. The jHub team looks forward to meeting delegates who have a story to tell or simply want to learn more about us.”

Accelerator will host a demonstration area in DSEI’s Innovation Hub to showcase state-of-the-art equipment the in Big Data, Immersive Training and Sensors developed by winners of the Defence Growth Partnership Innovation Challenge launched at DSEI 2015. Defence & Security Accelerator, Innovate UK, the Knowledge Transfer Network and techUK are working together to show SMEs and larger companies how they can introduce their pioneering solutions to the security and defence sectors.

As DSEI Event Director, Duncan Reid explains: “We are continually looking for new ways to develop DSEI to best reflect the needs of the event’s global audience. Acting as a ‘marketplace’ for business, the Innovation Hub will assist those from the Front-Line Commands who are seeking to deliver military capability with solutions from companies whose expertise lies beyond defence.”

Reference Text/Photos:www.cmsstrategic.com,www.dsei.co.uk

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