On home ground
With the issue of terrorism and serious organised crime still riding high on the agenda governments in the region are investing heavily in their homeland security infrastructure
Homeland security is big business in the Middle East and the next five to ten years are set to see this market expand dramatically. According to the latest research from market analysts Frost & Sullivan this means there is immense potential for security companies operating within this sector.
Major contracts for border and critical infrastructure are regularly being agreed in the region. EADS Defence & Security was recently awarded what it says is its largest ‘full solution’ national security contract in the region. The deal will see EADS providing a border security solution for the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to reports, the contract is thought to be worth in the region of over $2.7bn. The five-year project will see the Saudi border guard benefit from a leading edge solution, providing visibility and operational awareness for about 9000km of borderline (mountains, deserts and sea borders).
The solution will ensure border coverage is visible and managed at sector level, whilst simultaneously providing situational awareness at regional and national level. EADS Defence & Security says it has been strongly supported by the Al Rashid group for construction works in its bid for the project. “We are very pleased to have earned the trust and the confidence of the KSA government. We are committed to dedicate all our capacities and capabilities to deliver this program on time and in the quality our customer expects. That includes also long-term investments in the country†said Stefan Zoller,CEO of EADS Defence & Security in a statement.
Swedish biometric specialists, Precise Biometrics, has also won a large order worth over 190,000 euro from a Middle East government for its Precise 200MC combined fingerprint and smart card readers that will be used in a government ID card project together with its Precise Match-on-Card technology.
Meanwhile, Sagem Securite has concluded a strategic partnership with the Services Privatization Group, a company owned by the Ministry of Interior in the UAE. They will be working on developing advanced systems for multi-biometric identification and border control applications.
According to Frost & Sullivan over $10bn worth of projects are currently being undertaken in countries across the region including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, United Arab Emirates that involve the strengthening of border security. Technologies being employed in these applications include biometrics and smart cards, ground surveillance equipment, networked cameras, radars, sonars and UAV’s and perimeter protection solutions.
There are several major infrastructure projects taking place in the region which will further open up huge opportunities for critical infrastructure security system providers including the Dubai Metro, the Saudi Landbridge project, the Haramain High Speed Rail Project, the King Abdullah Economic City and several new Saudi Aramco’s refinery projects.
Defence spending
Internal security issues will also drive spending in the Middle East defence market in the years to come according to Frost & Sullivan who predict defence spending in the Middle East region is expected to surpass $100 billion by 2014.
Gautam Ganapathy, research associate, Aerospace & Defence at Frost & Sullivan and lead author of the report, says that a substantial chunk of spending in Middle East is going to come from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE and Israel. Saudi-Arabia’s defence expenditure was around $36 billion by the end of 2008.
“The financial muscle of countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Israel is enabling them to keep spending a huge chunk of their GDP on defence. Although countries in the Middle East have a relatively less number of active troops compared to the nations in the west, the ratio of their defence spending to that of their total GDP is highest in the world.
“The GCC countries want to equip themselves to protect their oil resources. With oil tables receding all across the globe and as the demand for oil is expected to catapult in the next decade, the oil resources of the GCC countries becomes a very critical issue when it comes to military spending. Secondly, they need to defend themselves against Iran, Iraq and Syria who view the GCC countries with suspicion due to the US military bases in their territory.â€
Securing the homeland tops the agenda at Intersec 2010
Representatives from the United Nations, Etihad Airlines, the Indian and Saudi Arabian Police force and a leading Arab bank will be among the top-level speakers presenting at Intersec in Dubai next January as the region’s biggest security event puts its focus firmly on the issue of homeland security. The conference which is held over two days during the exhibition (17- 19 January) will be called Disaster: Readiness, Response and Recovery. In total, 15 global and regional security experts will be sharing their expertise, including the lessons learnt from several disasters and major emergency events.
The 12th edition of the Intersec exhibition and conference is projected to be the largest yet, with over 710 exhibitors from 50 countries and over 17,200 trade visitors from 96 countries – many of which will be exhibiting key technologies that have a role to play in homeland security. These will include: bomb detection and disposal equipment, forensic equipment, rescue equipment, radar technology and biometrics.
“The world’s escalating surveillance on all facets of security, whether it’s related to terrorism, identity frauds or IT threats, has impelled a rise of interest from authorities and end users. Intersec is gearing up to showcase the largest congregation of industry leaders and specialist suppliers ever seen in the Gulf region,†said Elisabeth Brehl, managing director of Epoc Messe Frankfurt GmbH, organisers of the exhibition and conference