• Attendees heard from both the public and private sector industry leaders, including AmChamKSA Chairman Tarik Solomon, U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia Chargé d’Affaires Martina Strong, DSCA Deputy Director Mr. Jed Royal,  Corporate Vice President of L3Harris International, Charles R. “CR” Davis, Lt Gen USAF (ret.)., and AmChamKSA Defense & Security Chairman Nomaan Syed.

To launch the Inaugural 2022 World Defense Show, the American Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia (AmChamKSA) hosted the AmChamKSA World Defense Show Kick Off Breakfast on Sunday morning. The event brought together international visitors representing American and multinational companies participating in the World Defense Show.  It gave AmChamKSA members, industry leaders, and WDS attendees valuable networking time prior to the exhibition as well as insightful programming with remarks from public and private leaders in the defense sector.

The World Defense Show provides a global stage for defense interoperability, unlocking defense sector opportunities for multinationals to interact with their Saudi counterparts.  As Saudi Arabia creates a growing regional landscape for industry exhibitions, participants from all over the world will capitalize on these events to strengthen their business ties and create new business opportunities. 

The American Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia is deeply attached to these initiatives as the organization serves as a platform for the American business community to connect, grow and prosper.  Participation in these industry exhibitions - across our ten sector committees and throughout the regions AmChamKSA represents in Riyadh, Eastern Province, and Jeddah - will provide valuable opportunities to promote American business interests in the Kingdom.  

Attendees heard from AmChamKSA Chairman Tarik Solomon, who welcomed the attendees, many of which were visiting the Kingdom from abroad for the first time, to the inaugural World Defense Show.  Solomon emphasized the importance of industry engagement as a tool for companies to connect, grow and prosper in Saudi Arabia in alignment with the AmChamKSA mission. 

Next, Chargé d’Affaires Martina Strong gave remarks noting the defense sector’s impact on the U.S.-Saudi Arabia trade relationship, highlighting that U.S. defense companies have been at the heart of U.S.-Saudi economic and security relations since the meeting aboard the USS Quincy between King Abdulaziz and President Roosevelt in 1945.  The CDA noted that “the fact that the U.S. Pavilion here at the World Defense Show is the largest - and so is our government delegation - sums up how much importance the U.S. industry and the U.S. government attach to this strategic partnership.”  Remarking on the commercial partnerships built over time between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., CDA Strong concluded, “all of this engagement translates into $54 billion annually in U.S.-Saudi trade and investment” of which the defense sector accounts for a significant portion, creating tens of thousands of jobs in both countries. Deputy Director of DSCA, Mr. Jed Royal, also spoke, reflecting on the deep history of the trade relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the role that the defense sector plays within this engagement. 

The attendees also heard an industry perspective from remarks by the Corporate Vice President of L3Harris International, Charles R. “CR” Davis, Lt Gen USAF. General “CR” Davis expressed that at the pace that the world is changing at this current point in time, “the only way we can defeat the ever-evolving threats to the collective security of our nations is to seek interoperability and seamlessness in our bilateral engagements. This need is agnostic towards coalition or alliance - whether that be GCC, NATO, etc…” Further, from a private sector perspective, he noted that aggressively partnering with each other will enable and preserve the defense sector’s growth and security.

Finally, Defense & Security Committee Chairman Nomaan Syed invited defense companies represented in the breakfast to actively engage with the AmChamKSA Defense & Security Committee in order to come together and reinforce the bilateral strategic defense partnership.  AmChamKSA envisions a highly collaborative community that contributes to the strength, resiliency, and capacity of the defense industrial base in the Kingdom.

The breakfast was followed by a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, which officially opened the U.S. Pavilion at the World Defense Show.  This pavilion hosts the largest international representation with over 75 companies participating.

For more information about the American Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia and how to become a member, please visit amchamksa.com, or contact membership@amchamksa.com. 

The AmChamKSA World Defense Show Kick Off Breakfast was sponsored by The Jones Group, L3Harris and Leidos.

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