Overview
SEGMA held the 9th Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference (MESOC 2018) on May 7, 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman, Jordan, in conjunction with SOFEX. MESOC 2018 was held under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, and supported by the Jordan Armed Forces – Arab Army and the King Abdullah II Special Forces Group.
Representing one of the largest gatherings of its kind for the international SOF community, MESOC 2018 is the official conference of the highly acclaimed SOFEX tradeshow, running its 12th biennial edition. Opened with the arrival of His Royal Highess Prince Faisal al-Hussein and a keynote address from Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Fraihat, Joint Chief of Staff, Jordan Armed Forces – Arab Army, MESOC 2018 featured a high-powered speaker line-up of SOF Commanders from around the world, speakers and 650 delegates discussed the latest trends in the field.
A key focus of the discussions were emerging challenges particularly hybrid threats and the cyber domain, the changing nature of warfare in the context of lessons learned from recent and current operations, and the importance of the special forces operator with regards to training, doctrine, and concept of operations designed around effects-based approaches and calibrated to win hearts and minds rather than purely tactical battles.
Schedule
| 8:00-9:30 | Pre-Event: Speakers and attendees start arriving and will be treated to Tea and Coffee before first session |
| 9:30-9:35 | Session opens with the arrival of H.M. King Abdullah II (or his representative) immediately followed by Jordan’s Royal Salute |
| 9:35-9:45 | Keynote Speech To be presented by Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Fraihat, Joint Chief of Staff, Jordan Armed Forces, Arab Army |
| First Session | |
| 9:45-10:05 | Hybrid Warfare Threat in the Middle East and the Reforming of JAF Colonel Sufian Al Slaihat, Commander of King Abdullah II Special Forces Group, Jordan |
| 10:05-10:25 | Building Capacity for Special Operations Network General Raymond Thomas, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, USA |
| 10:25-10:45 | The Emirati Special Forces Experience in Combating Terrorist and Terrorism, Lessons Learnt Staff Colonel Mohammed Al Salmy, PG- Special Operations Command Deputy Commander, UAE |
| 10:45-10:55 | Panel Discussion, Moderated by Riad Kahwaji, General Manager, SEGMA |
| 10:55 -11:10 | Networking Session with Refreshments |
| Second Session | |
| 11:10- 11:30 | Battlespace Situational Awareness- Sensor Requirements for Deployed Special Operations Forces Brigadier General Timothy Bayliss, Chief of Staff, Special Operations Command, Australia |
| 11:30-11:50 | Future Irregular Warfare Challenges and Implications for Special Operations Forces Brigadier General Philippe Morales, Deputy Commander of Special Operations, France |
| 11:50-12:10 | Preparing Special Operators for Current and Future Terrorist Threats – Ideals Models of Training Major General Mustapha Shawkat Mustapha, Commander of Thunderbolt Forces, Egypt |
| 12:10-12:30 | Terrorism and Radicalism in Southeast Asia, General Muhammad Tito Karnavian, Chief of National Police, Indonesia |
| 12:30- 12:45 | Panel Discussion, Moderated by Brigadier General Abdallah Hassan Abdallah Huneiti, Director, Strategic Planning, J.A.F, Jordan |
| 12:45-13:00 | Networking Session with Refreshments |
| Third Session | |
| 13:00-13:20 | New Cyber-Espionage in Europe and the Offensive Measure to Counter this Threat Lieutenant General Erich Pfeffer, Commander of the Bundeswehr of Joint Forces Operations, Germany |
| 13:20-13:40 | Countering Hybrid Warfare in Urban Environment – Lessons Learned in War against ISIS General Taleb Al Kanani, Commander of Joint Operations and Anti-Terrorism Force, Iraq |
| 13:40-14:00 | Managing Resilience in an Era of Expanding Cyber Conflict Mr. Raddad Ayoub, Partner EY – Cyber Security, Advisory AIM (Africa India and the Middle East), Jordan |
| 14:00-14:15 | Panel Discussion, Moderated by Brigadier General Ahmad M. Milhim, Director of Cybersecurity and Information Technology, Jordanian Armed Forces |
| 14:15-14:25 | Closing Remarks by Organizer |
| 14:25-15:25 | Lunch | Press Conference |
Venue Information
Patrons
Sponsors
Partners
