UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH TAMIM BIN HAMAD AL THANI, AMIR OF THE STATE OF QATAR.
| A panel comprising renowned naval defence commanders, global security experts, thought leaders and academics discussed threadbare the biggest challenge to the maritime domain – asymmetric threats- at the Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC), which took place on Day 2 of the seventh Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2022) at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC). At the conference, which had ‘Resilience in the Maritime Domain – Confronting Asymmetric Threats’ as its theme, the speakers contextualised the main challenges to the security of regional and international waters. Through a series of informative panel discussions and open dialogue spread over a day, speakers from different regions of the world provided their own unique perspectives in a concerted effort to find answers to key naval security threats. The conference was formally inaugurated by Staff Major General (sea) Abdulla Bin Hassan Al- Sulaiti, Commander Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, and Dr Andreas Krieg, MENC Conference Director, in the presence of a sizable and knowledgeable audience that included top-level officials and key decision makers from around the world, including Ministers, Chiefs of Navies, fleet commanders, as well as other senior navy and maritime defence officials. Vice Admiral Charles Cooper, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet, spoke about ‘Combined Maritime Forces Flexibility in the Maritime Domain – Facing Asymmetric Threats’ while Staff Brigadier (pilot) Fahad Al-sulaifi of the Qatar Armed Forces Strategic Studies Center discussed the role of artificial intelligence in combating the threat. Providing an Indian perspective at the conference was Vice Admiral Ajendra Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Indian Navy. Dr. Rory David Miller, Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar, ended the first session by sharing his thoughts on ‘Overcoming Smallness: Gulf State Approaches to the Maritime Domain.’ The second session commenced with Admiral Jacques Fayard, Joint Commander of the French forces in the Indian Ocean, sharing his thoughts on countering asymmetry with multilateral symmetry. David Des Roches, Associate Professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, then held forth on ‘Modern Asymmetric Warfare at Sea and in the Gulf’ while Rear Admiral Takeshi Yoshioka, Director General, C4I Department, Maritime Staff Office, shared Japan’s Vision and spoke about the efforts of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Dr. Steven Wright, Associate Dean and Associate Professor – HBKU, provided insight on ‘The Interrelationship of Resilience in the Gulf and a Maritime Security Complex.’ Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S. Al-Ansari, Chairman of DIMDEX, said: “Maritime security is not an end in itself but is vitally important to other forms of security. The Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC) is one of the salient features of DIMDEX as it provides the stage for the confluence of great minds. Discussions involving the elite of the international maritime defence sector are priceless as they play a key role in ensuring stronger maritime security. The knowledge gained from high-level panel discussions at the conference will help provide answers to major global naval security challenges.” On what was yet another action-packed day at the biennial event that is hosted and organised by Qatar Armed Forces, multiple memoranda of understanding involving domestic and international companies were also announced. One of the premier events on the global maritime defence and security calendar, DIMDEX provides exhibitors a platform to forge relations and discuss business with international decision makers from the military sector, thus enhancing their chances of initiating deals, not only in Qatar and the Middle East, but at the global level. Through successive editions, the event has earned a reputation for facilitating major commercial success and providing unparalleled opportunities for knowledge sharing at the highest levels of industry and government. Agreements worth over USD 32 billion have been signed since the inaugural edition. In the 2018 edition alone, 35 partnerships were announced, with 27 agreements signed at the event itself. |