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19 March 2024

Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference opens

Published
By WAM

The Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference (DIAC) opened on Saturday at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.

The event is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, and with support of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence.

Organised by the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (Inegma), DIAC is being attended by political and military leaders, diplomats and industry representatives from the UAE, the Gulf and other countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Pakistan, Italy, Turkey, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, China, Sweden, France, United States, UK, New Zealand, Lebanon, Iraq and Russia.

DIAC is being organised for the fifth consecutive time as the official conference of the biennial Dubai Airshow.

Riad Kahwaji, CEO of Inegma, spoke about the importance of the conference in today's strategic and operational environment. He emphasised the special role that air power and air operations play in the changing strategic balance in the region.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of the Emirates Group, delivered the keynote speech on behalf of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Ahmed stated: "We gather here today to address the challenges that face us regionally and internationally. We are meeting as friends and allies to share ideas and views on how to overcome threats and improve our defence capabilities, especially in the important field of air power. Recent events have again reasserted the importance of the air force and air defence in achieving superior defensive or offensive capabilities. No nation can say it has a modern military without an efficient and effective air force, and this is something the UAE under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, has aspired to achieve and, God willing, intends to maintain and improve."

He continued: "We in the UAE believe in peace and we believe in productive partnerships to enhance stability and achieve progress and prosperity. Experience has taught us that staying alert and united, both at national or international levels, is the best way to maintain stability and to overcome difficulties. This was tested in the recent regional events. The UAE was among the leading Arab states that contributed to the no-fly zone operations the United Nations Security Council established to protect the civilians in Libya.

UAE pilots played an important role in enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya and have thus gained valuable experience in air warfare. The UAE has invested heavily in its manpower to produce quality citizens, officers and soldiers. We have invested in importing the latest technologies to stay in the forefront in our industries and trade. The UAE civilian and defence industries are growing in various areas including aviation".

Sheikh Ahmed concluded the speech saying that "the UAE military has achieved modernity at the international level. Its forces are for the protection of the nation and also for serving the international community's peacekeeping operations worldwide. The UAE has always sought diplomacy to resolve disputes with its neighbours, and has always called for dialogue as means to solving problems regionally and internationally. However, the UAE’s armed forces will always remain strong and on alert to deal robustly with any threats to the nation and the region."

Major General Mohammed bin Swaidan Saeed Al Gamzi, Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, said there are many challenges that the UAE and its allies face in the region and homeland security and defence of the country are paramount in a changing threat environment. Interoperability is a key issue as is the use of advanced technologies in air operations.

The first plenary session, chaired by Inegma President General (Retd.) Khaled Abdullah Al Bu Ainnain, featured three speakers.

Chief of Staff of the US Air Force General Norton A Schwartz talked about "Tailoring air power capabilities for joint combat operations in asymmetric environments".

He was followed by Major General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, Deputy Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, who discussed ways to prepare for tomorrow's challenges today by developing AF and AD warriors.

The third speaker at the first plenary session was the chief of air staff of the Royal Air Force of Britain, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton who discussed how to prepare for network centric forces.

The second plenary session was chaired by Dennis Muilenburg, executive vice president of Boeing Company, president and CEO of Boeing Defence, Space and Security.

Air Marshal Geoffrey Charles Brown, chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, defined the capabilities and mission requirements of a fifth generation fighter.

While Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleiman, chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force, examined the use of air power in irregular warfare.

Chief of staff of the Italian Air Force, Lieutenant General Giuseppe Bernardis' lecture was on "Defining Operational Requirements for Integrated Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Capability - The Multi-Mission Solution".

The third Plenary Session, chaired by Inegma’s director of research and consultancy Dr Theodore Karasik, featured three speakers as well.

The chief of air staff of the French Air Force looked at "Multi-tasking of UAVs: Actual Needs and Limits of Development".

Commander-General of Air Operations of the Brazilian Air Force Lieutenant Brigadier Gilberto Antonio Saboya Burnier discussed ways to develop airlift capabilities for SAR and humanitarian missions.

Major General Ates Mehmet Irez, chief of operations of Turkish Air Force, presented views on the next generation stand-off weapons in air power.

DIAC 2011's sponsors were: Platinum: Boeing. Gold: Rafale International and Northrop Grumman. Silver: MBDA, Baynuna Defence, Goodrich, Textron Systems and SAAB.