A delegation from Ministry of Defense, headed by Major General Dr. Mubarak bin Ghafan Al Jabri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Support and Defense Industries at the Ministry of Defense, visited Lockheed Martin’s Centre for Security Solutions and Innovation (CISS) – located in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.
Robert Bob S. Harward, Lockheed Martin’s Chief Executive in the Middle East, received the delegation and expanded on the Emiratisation and human capital development efforts undertaken by the company to develop highly skilled UAE engineers.
During the visit, Major General Al Jabri received a detailed briefing by Hala Al Zargani, Lead Engineer and the first Emirati employed by the CISS, on the progress of Lockheed Martin’s efforts to develop Emirati talent and help build sovereign capabilities within the UAE’s defense and space industry.
Major General Al Jabri noted the wise UAE leadership’s dedicated efforts to empower national cadres with opportunities to continue competing in the high-tech global economy, including the defense sector. He pointed out that continued training and mentoring of young engineers to run and operate advanced defense-related systems will serve as vital elements for the UAE defense and aerospace industry’s future.
Efforts are currently underway to onboard the summer cohort for Lockheed Martin’s CISS internship programme for UAE university students. The merit-based internship programme complements the UAE’s human capital development goals, by offering talented Emirati students the opportunity to focus on key defense industry imperatives, such as operations analysis, unmanned systems, and artificial intelligence.
Since 2017, Lockheed Martin’s CISS has trained more than 100 Emirati engineers, developing their skills through specialised training programmes. The programmes provide training in artificial intelligence development and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle design, defense simulation exercises, business administration skills, software development and IT networking, allowing students to work on real-world projects that positively impact the industry.
