RIYADH — World Defense Show announced Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), as a strategic partner on the global stage for defense interoperability. As a national defense champion, SAMI’s objectives are aligned with World Defense Show’s efforts to help localize 50 percent of Saudi Arabia’s defense procurement by 2030 as envisaged in Saudi Vision 2030. To propel the Kingdom’s self-sufficiency and economic diversification, SAMI will spearhead the platform, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s defense capabilities to an audience of key global industry stakeholders. Founded by Saudi Arabia’s defense industry regulator, the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), World Defense Show will serve as the global stage for defense interoperability across five key defense domains: air, land, sea, satellite, and security. The inaugural event will take place between March 6-9, 2022 in Riyadh, and reoccur biennially. This exhibition, covering the entire defense industry, will deliver networking programs with high-profile attendees, displays of advanced defense solutions, and knowledge-sharing segments that will generate opportunities for local and global military industries sectors and at the center of the global supply chain. When asked about the military manufacturer’s objectives for the partnership, SAMI’s CEO Walid Abukhaled said: “The commitment to helping Saudi Arabia establish a self-reliant indigenous military industries sector and support the achievement of the Vision 2030 target to localize 50 percent of defense spending is at the heart of SAMI’s strategy, and we are always on the pursuit of opportunities to advance these goals. SAMI plays a vital role in supporting PIF’s efforts in localizing cutting-edge technology and knowledge, as well as building strategic economic partnerships." "The partnership with World Defense Show offers us new avenues for collaboration across the global defense industry as the Kingdom scales up local capacities. This makes World Defense Show the ideal platform to connect our growing industry with market leaders from across the world and explore opportunities to transfer technology and knowledge, create jobs, and attract foreign investments,” SAMI’s CEO added. Shaun Ormrod, CEO of World Defense Show, said: “We welcome the partnership with SAMI, an industry giant in the region that we consider a champion in the World Defense Show mission to place interoperability at the center of the show’s ethos. As a platform, World Defense Show is here to connect SMEs to primes, countries to regions, and regions to global markets — driving forward the commercial and strategic benefits that collaboration brings and offering integrated solutions for the future of defense. Partnering with SAMI anchors the show focus on interoperability and the opportunities that come with it for everyone.” Through the strategic partnership between World Defense Show and SAMI, the global defense community will have a bridge to the local and regional military industry and sectors. By spotlighting where Saudi Arabia is focusing its defense and security investments, the world-class event will offer attendees the opportunity to deepen and align their relationships with key industry contacts.