AmCham Saudi Arabia’s
World Defense Show 2024
Kick-off Breakfast & Reception
February 5, 2024
Riyadh
Kick-Off Breakfast
On February 5th, AmCham Saudi Arabia welcomed international defense sector professionals to the World Defense Show 2024, hosting a kick-off breakfast to underscore the importance of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in a shared commitment to global security.
Over 200 attendees heard from distinguished public and private sector speakers, including U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Michael Ratney; the U.S. Embassy’s Senior Commercial Counselor, Andrew Billard; Deputy Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Michael F. Miller; Chairman of AmCham Saudi Arabia, Bill Foster; and AmCham Saudi Arabia’s Board Member and Chair of the Defense & Security Committee, Nomaan Syed.
The breakfast was organized by AmCham Saudi Arabia’s Defense & Security Committee and sponsored by five internationally recognized defense companies, who presented keynote remarks to the audience. We extend our gratitude to the speakers and our sponsors, including: Gen. John Abizaid, Senior Counselor at Jones Group Middle East; Paul Damren, General Manager of Leidos; Dave Johnson, Vice President of L3 Harris; Ahmad Halabi, Managing Director MENA of Resecurity as well as sponsors Shield AI and Zahid Group.
Opening of U.S. Pavilion
Following the morning’s Kick-Off Breakfast hosted by AmCham Saudi Arabia’s Defense & Security Committee, distinguished guests joined the delegation for the opening of the North American Pavilion at the World Defense Show. AmCham Saudi Arabia was represented by Chairman Bill Foster and Defense & Security Committee Chair Nomaan Syed during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where U.S. Ambassador Michael Ratney and Canadian Ambassador Jean-Phillipe Linteau officially opened the pavilion to the public.
The representation of over 108 American companies - both industry heavyweights and newly developed SMEs - at the World Defense Show underscores the importance of the long-standing bilateral relationship between America and Saudi Arabia in the defense sector.
Evening Reception
As the day of the World Defense Show drew to a close, AmCham Saudi Arabia convened over 500 attendees from both the public and private defense sector for an evening reception co-hosted with the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh. In a celebration of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the evening reception offered keynote remarks recapping the day’s events from Ambassador Michael Ratney, Senior Defense Official/Defense Attache Brigadier General Richard Quirk, Senior Commercial Counselor Andrew Billard, and AmCham Chairman Bill Foster. The evening also provided an exclusive networking opportunity for the attendees, reaffirming AmCham Saudi Arabia’s commitment to fostering connections in the American business community.
HEADLINE
Jones Group International provides global strategic advisory services to help our sovereign partners in creating and fulfilling a transformative vision for their national defense, security and prosperity.
With preeminent expertise and the best-in-class support available, we help partners achieve tangible results to their most complex defense and security challenges.
In a fast moving and increasingly complex world, L3Harris is anticipating and rapidly responding to challenges with agile technology – creating a safer world and more secure future.
Leidos has a long history of innovative problem-solving and customer service, dating all the way back to 1969 when Dr. J. Robert Beyster founded his "crazy little company." Today, Leidos is a global 47,000-employee Fortune 500 enterprise committed to making the world safer, healthier, and more efficient.
ResecurityTM is a cyber security company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and threat intelligence for large enterprises and government agencies worldwide.
Headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, The Zahid Group has successfully evolved over the course of the last century from its origins as a modest trading concern to become a multi-national organization encompassing a diverse portfolio of companies operating across 14 sectors.
The Group’s success is built on long-standing partnerships, associations with globally renowned brands and its adherence to the highest levels of professionalism and operating standards.
GENERAL
As a Navy SEAL, Shield AI co-founder Brandon Tseng experienced firsthand problems where intelligent autonomy could have made life-saving differences. He asked himself what does the military of 2030 look like and what role does autonomy play. The answer – AI pilots powering every military asset: aircraft, drones, ships, satellites and submarines.
Partner
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is your U.S. government resource for competing in the global marketplace.
Held over five days, World Defense Show will provide a unique platform for the world’s defense industry to network, partner, share knowledge and discover new innovations and capabilities across all defense domains.
It is an exhibition that features defense companies from every sector and tier of the industry with an abundance of show features, all designed to deliver best-in-class events that connect you with the international defense community.
World Defense Show attracts key defense figures, government officials, decision-makers, and thought leaders across all levels of the supply chain.
Saudi Arabia’s geographic location and international presence allow the Kingdom to serve as an ideal location for such a show.