Mohammed Al Bowardi: The UAE employs unmanned systems to build the best economy in the world
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the activities of the fifth edition of the “Unmanned Systems 2022” conference, accompanying the UMEX and SimTEX 2022 exhibitions, were launched in Abu Dhabi under the slogan: “Autonomous Systems”. Without Borders: A Huge Breakthrough and Promising Prospects.
The conference, organized by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Defense, attracted a group of thought leaders, high-ranking officials and academic researchers from different countries of the world, with the participation of more than 2,000 experts and specialists, both in person and in the virtual.
The Minister of State for Defense Affairs in the UAE, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bawardi, opened the sessions of the conference, saying during his opening speech, "Unmanned systems and drones constitute a prominent title for the real and unprecedented technological revolution that puts the future in our hands, and in the UAE it is an important player." In achieving the vision of our wise leadership represented in the fifty principles, focusing on building the best and most active economy in the world, and consolidating the global reputation of the UAE.”
He continued: "The organization of this strategic conference today, despite global challenges and exceptional circumstances that we are witnessing at the regional level, highlights the capabilities and capabilities of the UAE, highlights its pivotal role in enhancing the security and stability of the region, as well as its efforts to move forward in strengthening its advanced technological system to develop deterrence power, and building a security and defense sector that contribute to achieving reassurance and peace.
He added, "The importance of this conference lies in being a scientific platform that gathers expertise and competencies that support our mission to develop national capabilities, and a message from the UAE to the whole world that it is able to confront challenges of all kinds, and achieve the aspirations of its leadership and the aspirations of its people to reach an advanced position on the list of the best countries in the world." In all fields, and that it is keen to develop its capabilities to produce unmanned systems and drones for the purpose of enhancing its defense capabilities, as well as supporting its national economy.”
He said, "A large part of the danger lies in the fact that drones have become a weapon preferred by armed and terrorist groups due to the low cost of production, efficiency, effectiveness and ease of access, especially if there are regimes and countries that sponsor them, as drones can play some of the roles that combat aircraft play." Conventional missions, such as surveillance, reconnaissance and air attacks, and for this reason their uses began to affect the concepts and doctrine of air operations and air defense.”
He continued, "Despite the scientific and technological progress that unmanned systems represent, they involve unprecedented risks and challenges, and therefore we must intensify our efforts on an international and global level in order to protect international legitimacy and achieve international peace and security, as well as work together to continue the march of progress and prosperity for our generations." The future is by upgrading our creative capabilities to meet challenges, and develop people’s handling of smart machines with confidence and awareness, in addition to making the right decisions in the uninhabited era.”
For his part, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Omar Sultan Al Olama, said in his keynote speech at the opening of the first session of the conference: “Today, we realize more than ever the importance of protecting our countries by ensuring the use of these technologies in the service and protection of our societies.” And, as is the case with all technologies that have appeared throughout history, we fully understand that they are not perfect, but when looking at unmanned systems, there are many reasons on which leaders and decision-makers may build their orientations to use them and work to develop and disseminate their various technologies, as they contribute to creating Many opportunities to protect civilians in wars and battles.
He continued, "These systems have an ideal ability to work uniformly and harmoniously in ways that humans may not be able to do. Algorithms do not have the same feelings and fear as we do, and they do not get tired, they work around the clock throughout the year and carry out the incoming orders, and they outperform traditional systems when combined. With artificial intelligence techniques, these combined advantages make us more able to achieve goals and adopt strategies that enhance our efforts to protect our societies from attacks and during wars and battles.”
Minister Omar Al-Olama indicated: "Despite the advantages of the systems, they also pose several challenges in return that may create a kind of extremism, as they stimulate escalation during battles, especially when they are combined with artificial intelligence techniques, which creates a desire to move forward strongly without taking All possibilities are taken into account.In addition, the cost of owning these technologies is lower at the present time, which may allow terrorist groups that threaten the security of our countries to own and use them to terrorize civilians and destabilize the security of our societies, as well as the flaws in these systems represented in their use of historical data that does not match And the forward-looking directions adopted by many countries in planning for the future.
For his part, the Assistant Undersecretary for Support and Defense Industries at the Ministry of Defense, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of UMEX and SimTEX 2022 and the accompanying conference, Major General Dr. Eng. Mubarak Saeed Ghafan Al Jabri, said: “Undoubtedly, unmanned systems have become an essential part of our daily life. We rely on them continuously in many vital fields that have succeeded in replacing humans, especially in covering those tasks that may be characterized by a high degree of risk and complexity, and these systems have become enjoying a very wide range of technologies and innovations that are constantly witnessing by their nature and continuous development and growth. Despite this progress in this field, we are still at the beginning of the road to what we expect in the future in terms of the level of dependence and adoption of these systems.”
He added: "Although the adoption of these systems still faces many challenges, whether technical, operational, or even societal, our presence today in the UAE is a confirmation to the world of the leading position we enjoy in terms of developing, implementing and adopting these systems. Thus, contributing to the maturity of our institutions and our business, and enhancing the value of human life, but the most important thing is that we continue to work on sensing challenges and obstacles, and deepening in finding solutions to support future plans.”
He explained: "On top of these challenges is the continuity of the technological development of these systems, as work continues to develop technology at an accelerating pace. However, ensuring the integration and integration of these systems with the relatively older traditional systems still requires continuous work to ensure full compatibility and obtain the desired results from the desired goal of The application of these systems in a specific field or sector.At the same time, in the event that the old systems and devices are replaced by unmanned systems, the challenge lies in the adaptation of the teams using these systems, especially in the defense and security sectors, as they provide new operational concepts that require rapid adaptation and harmonization with them. With little or no margin of error, accidents and errors call into question the capabilities and effectiveness of these systems.”
He continued: "In light of these challenges, this conference provides us with an opportunity to consult and conduct a comprehensive review of the mechanisms of employment and applications of unmanned systems, to ensure the adoption of appropriate technologies and find a solution to the challenges and obstacles that appear on the surface during advanced stages of application. This review requires concerted international efforts among manufacturers. And innovators and end-users, to build an effective system capable of playing a vital role in human life and well-being, and another strategic role in the development of the state, governments and its economic, industrial and defense systems alike.
For his part, the managing director and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and its group of subsidiaries, Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, said: "We witnessed the launch of the activities of the conference organized by (ADNEC) and in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense in the UAE, in the presence of a group of experts, academic researchers and global thought leaders. To exchange views, in the unmanned systems sector. The event contributes to strengthening the UAE’s position as a distinguished global destination for hosting conferences specialized in unmanned systems, simulation systems and training.”
He added: "The organization of these events comes in accordance with ADNEC's strategy to support vital and promising sectors and enhance the competitiveness of national companies at the local and international levels, in addition to the transfer and localization of advanced knowledge in the country."
Under its umbrella, the conference brought together a group of experts, academic researchers and global thought leaders to exchange views and explore solutions to current and emerging challenges in the light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and sheds light on the latest scientific and technical developments in these areas, as well as sharing the best practices used in these ever-evolving sectors. And stand on the latest scientific and technological developments in this field.
The conference addressed the four discussion sessions in the conference, in which 22 high-level speakers from several countries from around the world participated, including ministers, leaders, and global innovators, many topics and issues related to the unmanned systems sector, and the sessions focused on 4 main axes, including Understand the changing landscape in the unmanned systems sector, enhance trust and understanding between human and machine and decision-making in the age of unmanned systems, and address improving innovation: Overcoming challenges associated with the implementation and integration of technologies, unmanned systems and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: How technology is shaping future capabilities .
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