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2022-05-01

DSA, NATSEC Prove Huge Success with RM7.1 billion Deals

The Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2022 and National Security (NATSEC) Asia 2022 exhibitions, which concluded on March 31, proved to be a resounding success, witnessing the signing of a whopping RM7.1 billion worth of contracts and MoUs.

With old collaborations reaffirmed, and new ones established, DSA/NATSEC Asia, held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), cemented its reputation as an indispensable tool to forge closer cooperation and understanding between countries, as well as a platform to tap into the trillion-dollar global defence and security market.

The event is globally recognised as one of the top five and most efficiently organised defence and national security exhibitions in the world, and concluded just a day before Malaysia officially reopened its borders in its transition towards the endemic phase of its COVID-19 management.

Figures reflect the success story: A total of 35,567 trade visitors attended the show; 380 VIP delegations (foreign and local) were welcomed at the exhibition site; 1,096 companies from 49 countries around the world took part; 20 international country pavilions were set up, occupying an exhibition space of more than 38,000sqm.

High-dollar Value

Gleaming hardware, from manpads, SHORADs (Short-Range Air Defense), to utility and armoured vehicles, air and sea platforms, electronic warfare, sensors, shooters and ballistics protection systems on display attested to the high-dollar value of the global defence and security industry.

Several signing ceremonies included the deal between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and NS Corporation to collaborate in joint business opportunities in the aerospace, space, and ecosystem development in Malaysia as part of the Vision Valley 2.0 initiative.

These deals attested to DSA and NATSEC Asia’s stature as the biggest and most effective marketplace for defence and security-related hardware and solutions to meet the most stringent of requirements.

Senior Minister of Defence, Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein, described the show as a resounding success, which signalled that Malaysia was truly open for business.

“DSA & NATSEC Asia 2022, jointly organised, hosted and supported by the Defence and Home Affairs ministries, as well as the Malaysian Armed Forces, was the biggest event of its kind to be held in Malaysia in recent times. Even though it was not open to public, a total of 35,567 trade visitors were recorded, exceeding the initially targeted 25,000 trade visitors,” he said.

Promotion of Bilateral Ties

Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin added that he met with five of his counterparts from Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and Maldives, while having bilateral meetings with these nations, which promoted the strengthening of regional and bilateral cooperation between the nations.

Prime examples of this include the agreement to convene the General Border Committee MALINDO meeting in July 2022 between Malaysia and Indonesia to discuss the progress of joint border posts.

The events at DSA and NATSEC Asia 2022 saw the exploration of defence cooperation between Malaysia and Brunei, particularly in joint counter-terrorism exercises, including the possibility of increasing the number of Royal Brunei Armed Forces personnel under Malaysia’s United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Talks were also held for Malaysia to provide more training seats to the Maldives Armed Forces with proposals to have an MoU on defence cooperation with Malaysia.

Second Edition of NATSEC

The event marked the second edition of NATSEC Asia, further cementing DSA & NATSEC Asia’s status as being the only show of its kind anywhere in the world to feature both defence and national security-related issues side by side, on the same platform.

“The MoU and Contract signing ceremony by the Ministry of Home Affairs is symbolic of the Government’s efforts to ensure national security is protected from all threats by prioritising the acquisition of strategic assets, in addition to supporting the theme of the DSA and NATSEC Asia 2022 exhibition which is ‘Advancing into a New Era of Defence and Security.’ Hopefully this effort will augment our commitment towards preserving Malaysia’s national security,” stated Minister of Home Affairs, Dato’ Seri Hamzah bin Zainudin.

Aside from the obvious economic and geo-political benefits, DSA & NATSEC Asia also contributed to Malaysia’s improved ranking in several global indices.

For instance, as of last year, Malaysia ranked 23rd out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index, and 25th in the World Competitiveness Index.

Shared Regional Responsibility

DSA & NATSEC Asia 2022 was the biggest event of its kind to be held since the pandemic, occupying more than 38,000 square metres at MITEC. Among the key highlights of DSA and NATSEC Asia 2022 were a Cyber Defence and Security Conference which highlighted the need for nations to come together to formulate a cohesive plan of action to defend against cyber-related attacks and threats.

The Putrajaya Forum saw the coming together of policy makers, defence and security agencies, think tanks and academicians to discuss and share knowledge to promote understanding on regional and international defence and security issues.

Themed “Shared Regional Responsibility”, YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin delivered the keynote followed by the first session topic on “Broadening Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific. “ The Senior Minister of Defence along with Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister of Defence Singapore and Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana, Secretary of Defence The Philippines answered questions from the participants.

Since the start of the series more than three decades ago, DSA, and lately NATSEC Asia, have also been highly heralded as among the best displays of the most sophisticated hardware and electronics of land, air and sea, featuring cutting-edge technology in the areas of cyber domains, border protection, citizen identification, artificial intelligence, battlefield healthcare, training and simulation systems, police and homeland security peripherals, as well as protection systems of critical assets.

The success of DSA and NATSEC Asia 2022 has set a number of benchmarks in global defence and national security, as the region moves into a post-pandemic era.

In summing up the success of the 17th edition of the DSA series – now in its 34th year – DSA Exhibition and Conference Chairman Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin said that organising this year’s show posed the biggest challenge in its entire history.

“Having postponed what was to be DSA and NATSEC Asia 2020 two years ago, makes this year’s show all the more meaningful and crucial, especially in these times. The success of DSA and NATSEC Asia 2022 bears tremendous testament to the years of preparation and planning that have gone into organising this show,” he said.

Preparations for the next edition of the show – DSA and NATSEC Asia 2024, scheduled for 6-9 May 2024 at MITEC – are already under way.

Key Takeaways

As the curtains come down on the event, the organisers, exhibitors and attendees left with a number of key takeaways.

First, this edition of the DSA turned out to be an unqualified success, despite being the first major international exhibition hosted by Malaysia on the back of a global pandemic.

The organisation, and stringent precautions and COVID-19 protocols put in place by the organisers paid dividends in ensuring that the show was the safest.

DSA and NATSEC Asia 2022 also reaffirmed its status as the gateway to the global defence and security market when more than RM7.1 billion worth of contracts and MoUs were inked, primarily between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and several defence and security firms.

‘Made in Malaysia’

For the first time, the show featured Made in Malaysia Vehicles highlighting the strength and competency of Malaysian companies, as well as providing opportunities for Malaysian exhibitors to introduce their products to local and international markets.

Also uniquely in the 17th edition, a pavilion was set up to help promote made in Malaysia defence and security products, innovations, technologies and solutions. The pavilion highlighted the capabilities and competencies of Malaysian companies as well as provided opportunities for their products to be introduced to domestic and international markets.

Separately, a pavilion provided an opportunity for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to showcase and promote their products and services to the eyes of the world.

DSA and NATSEC Asia worked closely with MATRADE to offer an exceptional experience of e-business matching via Jublia, an established global leader in business matching and event data analytics. They were the first hybrid platform that focused on audience engagement through a data-driven process to keep connected with their choice of exhibitors for a private networking opportunity.

The co-organisers together with the cooperation of relevant ministries and agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of International Trade & Industries, National Security Council, Malaysian Investment Development Authority and the Immigration Department refined guidelines and Standard operating procedures (SOPs) to facilitate the entry of business travellers and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially during the events.

The 16th edition too had superseded previous number of visitors, VIP attendance and exhibitors’ participation. Larger exhibits were featured at the venue and the exhibition floors were packed on all four days.

The DSA series of exhibitions and conferences was first initiated in 1988 with the purpose of offering global manufacturers and service providers direct access to the world’s top-level defiance experts and government security decision-makers.

Reference Text/Photo:www.dsaexhibition.com

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