Egypt Defence Expo highlights
Egyptian President and former military chief Abdel Fattah El Sisi inaugurated the country’s first defence expo last week, looking to diversify Egypt’s weapons suppliers and boost its military production.
Through hosting its own defence exhibition, the first of its kind in an African nation, Egypt is hoping that an open market for defence contracts can bypass western political pressure, although a diverse military arsenal comes with its own costs.
About 41 countries and nearly 400 companies took part, said Clarion Defence and Security, the British company that organised the three-day event in co-operation with the Egyptian Armed Forces.
Seventeen of the companies were from the UAE while more than 40 came from the US.It was also the first such event open to the public in Egypt.
Items at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre ranged from a gold-plated Pakistani sub-machinegun to an Egyptian-made Temsah – or Crocodile – armoured vehicle.
Since the 2014 election of Mr El Sisi, Egypt has increased arms imports by 215 per cent, making it the world’s third-largest destination for weapons, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says.
The Egyptian military industrial complex continues to expand. Private analysis firm Strategic Defence Intelligence estimates Egypt’s yearly military spending will reach $5.6 billion (Dh20.57bn) by 2022.
Some suggest the role of the country’s military in the economy is up to 50 per cent of output. But Mr El Sisi has said it is no more than 2 per cent.
Egypt’s defence strategy aims to bolster regional influence and decrease dependence on the US, a military source told The National.
“The idea is to diversify armaments either from Russia, the US, China, or France, and not to rely on one armament source,” the officer said. The US is a top military supplier to Egypt, providing more than $1.3bn in annual military assistance that must be spent with American defence companies.
After the Rabaa and Nahda Square massacres in Cairo in 2013, at which at least 800 supporters of deposed president Mohammed Morsi were killed, US President Barack Obama withheld deliveries of fighter jets, helicopters, tanks and missiles.
But the Trump administration has backed down.
In July, the US State Department announced the release of $195 million in suspended aid, despite the Egyptian government refusing to address US concerns about Egypt’s crackdown on citizens and increasing military co-operation with North Korea. “Strengthened security co-operation is important to US national security,” the State Department said.
Recently, the US president
has shown sensitivity to the possibility of less reliance on American weapons.
After the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in October, Donald Trump faced pressure to sanction Saudi Arabia, which relies on American weapons for its work in supporting the Yemeni government fighting the Iranbacked Houthi rebels.
But Mr Trump argued against cancelling defence contracts with the kingdom.
“If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries, and very happy to acquire all of this newfound business,” he said on November 20.
Analysts warn there is a price associated with diversifying weapons suppliers, however. “Egypt’s extremely diverse arsenal, imposes significant constraints on its military,” a report by US intelligence company Stratfor said.
France has shown an interest in increasing weapons sales to Egypt, with Defence Minister Florence Parly attending the expo opening ceremony with Mr El Sisi.
Italian companies appeared unconcerned by continuing diplomatic tension between Cairo and Rome over the unresolved murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, who Italian authorities believe was tortured and killed by Egyptian security officials in 2016.
Italy’s Leonardo company signed a deal with the Egyptian air defence to supply advanced radars.
A UAE pavilion hosted officials from the Tawazun Economic Council and the Emirates Defence Companies Council. The UAE pavilion represented “an opportunity to promote made in UAE defence and security productions”, said Sultan Al Samahi, the acting director general of the companies council.