Saudi-Pak defense industrial collaboration: Guarding peace, building potential
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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye concluded their second meeting about the Trilateral Defense Industrial Collaboration in Rawalpindi earlier this week. The inaugural meeting of this forum was held in Riyadh in August last year and the third is scheduled in Riyadh next month during the World Defense Show. The quick succession of these meetings underscores the importance attached by all three countries to this field, with the aim of strengthening their defense production systems in an uncertain global security environment. The regional security situation has been volatile for quite some time but has worsened since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
Closer to home, there is a new wave of militancy near the northwestern border of Pakistan. Commercial navigation faces fresh challenges in the Arabian and Red Sea. The situation in the Gulf of Aden is particularly tense. Turkiye feels the heat of the Russia-Ukraine war and instability in Syria and Iraq. Pakistan’s navy has dispatched its vessels to the Arabian Sea in order to secure commercial shipping. Vital energy resources pass through these waters and keep the wheels of the world economy moving. Pakistan and the Kingdom have shared stakes in securing these commercial lanes. The bulk of Pakistan’s energy needs also comes from the Gulf. In this uncertain environment, the regional countries are obliged not only to secure their immediate interests, but to also plan for long term defense production autarky.
Constant vigilance is required today to ensure peace and security without which economic and social development and the resultant higher standards of living for the masses will remain a pipe dream. This vigilance demands proper military equipment and adequately trained manpower to operate it. Modern sophisticated equipment is not only expensive but also requires payments through hard currencies. Turkiye has resolved this problem by enhancing its defense production and successfully venturing into some advanced sophisticated weapons production. From an important importer of weapons a decade ago, Turkiye today is a notable exporter of defense equipment. GCC countries are its important buyers.
In this environment, regional countries are obliged not only to secure their immediate interests, but to also plan for long term defense production autarky.
Javed Hafeez
Pakistan has been producing light weapons for the infantry since long. Faced with sanctions from its traditional suppliers, it started diversifying its inventory. It co-produced a tank with Chinese collaboration and fitted a Ukraine-made engine in it. Similarly, Pakistan has co-produced the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet with China. It has been re-building and renovating the Mirage fighter aircraft for more than three decades. However, either due to complacency or limited resources, it has not been able to graduate to the production of more sophisticated weapons like Turkiye has.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are some of the largest importers of arms in the world. These imports are necessitated by vast land area and by volatility in the region. Now, Saudi Arabia has entered into an agreement with Turkiye to purchase unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs). But in the not-too-distant future, the Kingdom could be producing these vehicles itself under bilateral or trilateral arrangements. Pakistan too has acquired some of these vehicles from Turkiye. These vehicles can target enemy planes from the ground and the air. Similarly, Turkiye is manufacturing advanced drones which can hit targets with precision and could prove to be game changers in the fight against terror.
A tangible advantage of this trilateral engagement is the transfer of technology in addition to local job creation. The three countries have also resolved to collaborate in vital areas of research and development (R&D). This fits into their shared strategic vision. Traditional sources of supply are not reliable all the time and should not be taken for granted.
In any case, defense equipment will be produced at a lower cost than in Europe or North America. By the same token, the items produced under this arrangement will be more attractive to importing countries. A look at the import profiles of regional countries indicates high demand for this equipment.
The trilateral arrangement suits all three countries. Pakistan has a large pool of skilled manpower experienced in defense production but it is capital deficient. Turkiye has sophisticated technical knowhow but requires foreign capital for large scale investments in the field of defense production. Saudi Arabia has the largest sovereign fund among all GCC countries and is looking for fruitful avenues of investment. And these are not only profitable areas of investment, but also help in the vital sphere of peace and security in an uncertain environment.
- Javed Hafeez is a former Pakistani diplomat with much experience of the Middle East. He writes weekly columns in Pakistani and Gulf newspapers and appears regularly on satellite TV channels as a defense and political analyst.
Twitter: @JavedHafiz8
