FEINDEF 2019, first defense exhibition to take place in Spain.

The Spanish Secretary of State for Defence, Ángel Olivares, the Director General of Military Equipment and Materials (DIGAM), Admiral Santiago Ramón González, and the presidents of the sectoral associations AESMIDE and TEDAE, Gerardo Sánchez Revenga and Jaime de Rábago presented last 16 November the first International Defence Fair (FEINDEF), which will be held in Madrid, from 29 to 31 May 2019.

Official presentation of FEINDEF 2019, the first defense exhibition to take place in Spain (Picture source: FEINDEF)

The DIGAM said that the fair “constitutes an ambitious but also very necessary commitment for Spain” and that it aims to offer “an overview of the progress being made in Europe for the development of the Common Defence Policy”. Admiral González also stated that “with the industry’s and everyone's effort, Spain will continue to have a competent and internationally well-positioned industrial sector.

The presentation, which also involved the Deputy Director-General of International Relations of the DGAM, Division General Felipe de la Plaza, and the head of the International Support of the Ministry of Defence for the Fair, Brigade General José Conde de Arjona, highlighted the “opportunity” that this international fair represents. FEINDEF is the First International Defence Fair being held in Spain in collaboration with the two business associations of the sector, supported by the Ministry of Defence.

In this regard, the Secretary of State for Defence, who brought the ceremony to a close, stressed that the Spanish industry needs to “increase its internationalisation”, in order to benefit from new European policies in an “environment as changing as it is demanding”, noting that new technologies must adapt to this new reality. Ángel Olivares pointed out the importance of this event, emphasising that “if there is no industry behind it, Defence cannot reliable nor powerful”.

FEINDEF will be closely linked to Europe in order to position Spain in the consortia being formed in Europe as part of the European Defence Action Plan (EDAP). This first International Defence Fair will occupy an area of 12,000 m². The exhibition will be a platform for companies, universities and technology centres to show their latest developments. FEINDEF will have a business-to-business Meeting Area and planned lectures and workshops on new developments and technologies, market trends, anticipation of future needs of the Armed Forces and law enforcement bodies which will also address matters common to other economic sectors such as data protection, funding and the environment.