A total of 1,200 exhibitors and companies from 60 countries are showcasing at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2016 Exhibition and Conference.

Billed as one of the top five defence shows, the event, to run until Thursday after kicking off at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday, is expected to attract 34,000 visitors from 77 countries.

Twenty-nine country group pavilions took part this year, with newbies being Belarus, Canada, Bosnia, Netherlands, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine.

The biggest foreign pavilion is Turkey with more than 25 companies participating.

Among the leading international defence and security companies at the show are Airbus, BAE Systems, Bell Helicopter, Finmeccanica, MBDA, Roxoboronexport, SAAB and Thales.

Local defence and services companies taking part include AVP Engineering, Boustead Naval Shipyard, Destini Bhd, Deftech (DRB Hicom Defence Technologies), Muhibbah Engineering, Rohde & Schwarz Malaysia, Sapura Defence, SME Ordnance, System Consultancy and Weststar Group.

At the launch, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the event brought together defence and security personnel from around the world to tackle the industry’s most relevant concerns.

“The DSA 2016 is a premier platform designed to enhance bilateral relationships and promote higher level of commitment towards regional and global defence.

“In line with these efforts, the Defence Ministry has been actively engaging in and marketing the Malaysian defence industry through various platforms, not least of which is the DSA series,” he said.

On Sunday, Hishammuddin said a research by the Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute revealed that the global military expenditure last year was estimated at US$1.68tril (RM6.5tril), an increase of about 1% in real terms from 2014.

“The defence spending of the Western world has shrunk while that in Asia and Oceania rose 5.4% in 2015, the fastest growing region in the world and outpacing even the conflict-ridden Middle East,” he said.

The increased military spending in Asia, added Hishammuddin, underscored the cautious security outlook and highlighted the importance of being prepared for any eventuality.

“We are in the business of protecting lives and serving people. We need to be prepared at all times for calamities that we may never have expected in the first place,” he said.

In line with the show, the inaugural DSA 2016 Youth Programme, said Hishammuddin, would also see 500 youths being groomed into experts in the field of defence and security.

The first day of the exhibition saw the Putrajaya Forum 2016 being officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security and the Defence Ministry in collaboration with DSA 2016, the forum – themed “Regional Cooperation in Addressing Security and Challenges” – addresses the current security concerns affecting Asean countries and beyond.

The Putrajaya Forum continues today with a keynote address by Hishammuddin, followed by a closing speech from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Other events lined up are the Chief of Army Roundtable Talks, Cyber Security Forum, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive Conference, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Conference.

Among the visitors yesterday was Kelantan Ruler Sultan Muhammad V.

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by Neville Spykerman, Rahimy Rahim, Jastin Ahmad Tarmizi, Austin Camoens & Natasha Joibi

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