UAE announces Middle East defense giant in the wake of Aramco attacks
The effective ruler of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Tuesday that 25 government-owned and independent companies are to combine to create one of the Middle East’s biggest defense groups.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who also acts as deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, announced combining the 25 firms to create a new conglomerate titled Edge.
The man selected to run Edge as both chief executive and managing director is Faisal Al Bannai, who was formerly a managing director at UAE cybersecurity company DarkMatter. Edge will combine 22 private firms with the government-owned Emirates Defence Industries Company, the Emirates Advanced Investments Group and Tawazun Holding. It’s estimated that 12,000 people will be employed under the defense giant.
In mid-September, 25 drones and missiles were used in a pre-dawn attack on Saudi Aramco facilities that forced neighboring Saudi Arabia to shut down half of the country’s oil production. Riyadh and Washington blame Iran for the attacks, which Tehran denies.
