EDITOR’S NOTES: Postcard from Aqaba: U.S. Distributors, Embassy Shine
A Bedouin band serenades SOFEX attendees.
Stew Magnuson photograph
AQABA, Jordan — The primary impression most have had of Aqaba comes from the traditional movie Lawrence of Arabia, set throughout World Struggle I and the Arab Revolt.
In a shock assault on the Turkish-held fort on the northern finish of the Crimson Sea, T.E. Lawrence, Auda Abu Tayi and their males dramatically trip their horses and camels in a lightning strike over a desert plain.
However anybody who takes films for historic truth is, in fact, silly. In actuality, the marketing campaign took a number of days, rugged mountains are to the east of town and a pointy hill leads all the way down to the fort, which continues to be standing and a preferred cease for vacationers.
In the present day, Aqaba — now in Jordan — is best often known as a vacationer vacation spot with its resorts, seashores and reefs widespread with scuba divers.
Additionally it is the brand new location for SOFEX, the one commerce present within the Center East dedicated to particular ops. After years of it being held in Amman, the biennial present went on a four-year hiatus as a consequence of first its venue being broken in a storm, then COVID-19.
Throughout that point, the organizers within the Jordanian authorities determined to alter the setting from the capital metropolis Amman to Aqaba, a four-hour drive to the south.
Whether or not or not that was a good suggestion after such a protracted layoff stays to be seen. Most commerce trade reveals have returned with larger crowds than ever, however those that had attended SOFEX prior to now instructed Nationwide Protection that there appeared to be remarkably fewer attendees and exhibitors — probably as a result of considerably distant locale. There have been many empty stalls and obvious no-shows within the exhibition corridor.
However right here’s a tip for anybody contemplating attending SOFEX 2024: make the most of the gap between Amman and Aqaba and cease to see Petra. One of many Seven Wonders of the World, the traditional metropolis is carved within the aspect of sandstone mountains and is greatest often known as a backdrop for Indiana Jones and the Final Campaign.
After that, spend just a few days in Wadi Rum, a protected desert area that doubled because the planet Tatooine in Star Wars, and the backdrop for Lawrence of Arabia and The Martian. Camp out below the Milky Method and benefit from the Bedouin hospitality. Which will all sound like hype from a vacationer brochure, however take it from somebody who has traveled to all corners of the globe, the Jordanians are a few of the friendliest and most hospitable individuals round.
Day one of many convention was held in a five-star lodge close to the seaside and is named the Center East Particular Operations Commanders Convention. A lot of the commanders who spoke had been preaching to the choir in regards to the significance and uniqueness of particular operations forces. Their shows didn’t have loads of substance, which was too dangerous. Many of those officers are down within the trenches finishing up counterterrorism missions on daily basis and doubtless had extra attention-grabbing issues to say.
One exception was Pakistan’s Maj. Gen. Adil Rehmani, who mentioned that his forces as soon as loved technological superiority over the terrorist teams he faces, however that’s now not the case. They’re catching up shortly with night time imaginative and prescient goggles and surveillance drones.
The three-day exhibition, which came about on the King Hussein Worldwide Airport, was reportedly “purpose-built” for SOFEX, however that turned out simply to be the registration and safety space.
In entrance of the corridor entrance stood a chunk of apparatus which will find yourself being a footnote in historical past, the Saildrone Explorer, an unmanned floor vessel the Navy’s fifth Fleet had utilized in a collection of experiments within the Persian Gulf. The weathered vessel constructed by Saildrone of Alameda, California, was plucked from the ocean and introduced as a static show — and never too quickly. The Iranian navy earlier within the yr reportedly made an try to grab one in every of them, however the U.S. Navy arrived in time to thwart their dastardly plans.
The drone had one other 5 minutes of fame on day one of many present when King Abdullah II, the founding father of the convention and the supreme commander of the Jordanian Armed Forces, made the rounds and stopped for a significantly very long time to obtain a briefing from a fifth Fleet officer in regards to the drone. The king — an enormous believer in renewable power — was principally excited by how the USV used photo voltaic panels and the ocean currents to generate energy, in line with an insider aware of the dialog.
America had the most important contingent of exhibitors, with Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Teledyne FLIR, and AM Normal being the best-known distributors.
U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Henry Wooster got here with a contingent of U.S. officers who had been there to present the nuts and bolts of learn how to do enterprise with the dominion. Together with privately consulting with the small companies, they gave informative talks on the Affiliation of america Military’s speaker’s nook. Hats off to them. No different nation on the present noticed that sort of dedication to supporting its personal sector.
Jordan will not be an oil-rich Gulf state and doesn’t have these nations’ sources to spend on weapons. It’s nonetheless a stalwart U.S. ally within the area, and hopefully at SOFEX 2024, these empty stalls might be crammed with extra U.S. distributors.
Subjects: World Protection Market, Worldwide, Particular Operations