Oliver Wyman report says self-reliance and home-grown defence capabilities now needed
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A dramatic shift in defence policies and a new, strategic approach to military capabilities is required by Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries to protect themselves against potential threats, according to a new Oliver Wyman report released today.
The report, titled Military Self-Reliance in the GCC, states how the GCC’s considerable purchasing power must now be converted into industrial power. The six countries of the GCC are, as a group, the world’s third largest spenders on defence, with a combined budget of more than US$100bn a year.
Author of the report, Anshu Vats, Partner and Head of Public Sector, Oliver Wyman, comments, “Until now, almost all of the billions of dollars spent on arms have gone to foreign suppliers. In the future, the GCC must focus on developing a domestic base of defence manufacturing to enhance the region’s capability to address a range of conventional and asymmetrical threats.”
The Middle East’s biggest defence suppliers such as the United States and the United Kingdom have encountered abrupt, political swings that place a significant degree of uncertainty on their defence and foreign policies.
“Long held policies and agreements related to the overall security of the region are now being re-assessed,” says Vats. “GCC countries must now plan for self-sufficiency in its defence and security as the only reliable way forward.”
This report outlines the significant steps the GCC must take to localise the defence industry. To do this, Oliver Wyman has introduced its Triple A Framework, “Anticipate, Advance, Assure”, to offer policymakers a way to create a roadmap for the defence industry that is sustainable under a range of geopolitical scenarios.
The full report can be viewed online here.
