Under the patronage of the Vice President, Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Defence His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ministry of Defence organised event, The Leaders Conference: War in the 21st Century, opened today at both the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, ECSSR, and the Rabdan Academy in Abu Dhabi.

Delivering the two-day conference’s inaugural speech, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, said that the organisation of the event reflects the Ministry of Defence’s vision, being a national strategic entity that addresses all issues concerning security and defence of the state and therefore it is entrusted with delivering the future and becoming prepared for all challenges.

He said, "The conference reflects the ministry’s keenness to develop strategic thinking and deepen national recognition and awareness of the character of challenges. The Ministry’s selection of the conference’s theme is an attempt to reflect current realities, including immediate challenges and the character of future conflicts at the regional and international levels.

"A number of factors are now rapidly overlapping and have a complicated and grave strategic impact," said the minister, adding, "Wars of the future now target world communities with non-military tools. All of these wars are being waged in a non-centralised-way and through allies that include states, groups and armed organisations as well as state armies and companies that support criminal networks and platforms that have their own subversive impact on world communities," the minister explained.

He cited in this respect the so-called "black economy" which is now dominating the world economy and works in a non-traditional, stealthy and unclear way that is difficult to identify.

"There are now new concepts for non-traditional wars, like hybrid wars, and their scope has expanded to include economic and financial wars, cyber wars, information wars, environmental wars and psychological wars. These new concepts of war target strategic capabilities and are meant to destroy critical infrastructure and national resources," he said.

Mr. Al Bowardi continued, "The Leaders Conference: War in the 21st Century will address a range of strategic issues including the changing character of war in the 21st Century, governmental strategies needed to confront threats and challenges posed by 21st Century war and to establish effective response mechanisms in accordance with international standards, the importance of strategic speech and of creating an impact by utilising non-military tools in 21st Century wars."

The Minister of State went on to say that the conference was organised "out of the strategic necessity of ensuring an integrated stance and unified security and strategic concepts. And in this respect we recall what the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said, that the UAE has secured a global pioneering status by steering clear away from traditional thinking and instead focusing on the future to develop pre-emptive strategies and scenarios for its challenges."

"Enhancing strategic knowledge is a means for achieving national goals," the minister added, saying that these goals can be achieved by ensuring joint action and strengthening strategic relations between the Ministry of Defence and other national institutions and strategic partners.

"All national organisations have an essential role to play in areas of security and defence in order to ensure the nation’s supreme interest, which is the protection of its independence, sovereignty, security and stability and achieving victory," the Minister concluded.

The conference brings together senior national and regional officials, and prominent experts and scholars specialising in the military sciences and strategic thinking.

The event represents a valuable opportunity to ensure readiness for potential challenges by providing modern visions toward the rapidly-changing character of future conflict and its potential impact on the strategic and security landscape.

The conference will also address the geopolitics of technological and economic advancement and its potential impact on the UAE.