More than three decades ago, the launch of SOFEX was never merely a response to a military need or an occasion to highlight defence equipment and systems. It grew out of an early Royal vision that saw the defence industry as part of a broader effort to build national capabilities, drive development, advance technology and create sustainable economic value. Since then, SOFEX has evolved into an international platform where defence industries, technology, investment, and partnerships converge, reflecting a Jordanian approach that links national security requirements with economic development opportunities.

 

This vision is even more relevant today, as the global economy undergoes profound transformation. The defence industry is no longer a traditional sector built solely on manufacturing military equipment and systems. It has become one of the sectors most closely tied to advanced technology, research and development, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, advanced materials, and digital manufacturing. Any discussion of the defence industry is now a discussion of the knowledge economy, industrial capability, and national competitiveness.

 

This is where the concept of defence economics comes to the fore. It goes beyond the traditional question of how much is spent on defence and poses a more important one: how can defence resources and investments be turned into national capabilities that generate added value, advance technology, create jobs, support local industry and open new markets?

 

In this context, the SOFEX experience over the past three decades can be read as part of a wider shift in how Jordan views its defence industry. The goal is no longer simply to acquire equipment, but to build the capacity to design, develop, engineer, manufacture, maintain and integrate, and to accumulate the knowledge and expertise that allow the national economy to move gradually from being a consumer of technology to playing a more active role in developing and producing it.

 

The true economic value of the defence industry lies in this accumulation. When we invest in an engineer, a laboratory, an R&D centre, a production line or an advanced manufacturing technology, the return does not necessarily end with defence applications. The ability and technologies developed in this sector can transfer to the civilian economy, supporting industries such as aviation, automotive, energy, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.

 

SOFEX thus becomes as much an economic and technological platform as a defence one. Bringing together global companies, manufacturers, developers, decisionmakers and investors creates an opportunity to build partnerships that go beyond buying and selling into deeper areas such as technology transfer, co-production, localisation, research and development, and the building of local supply chains.

 

This point marks one of the most significant shifts in modern defence economics. Nations no longer measure success only by their ability to buythe latest systems, but by their ability to get the knowledge behind them. The most valuable economic partnership, therefore, is not necessarily one that ends with a supply contract, but one that creates a new national capability: a factory, a development centre, an engineering team, a local supplier, or a start-up able to enter a global value chain.

 

From this perspective, Jordan has an important opportunity to leverage SOFEX to strengthen its position within the regional and international defence-industrial ecosystem. Competitive advantage does not rest solely on the size of the domestic market, but on qualified human capital, engineering ability, R&D capabilities, industrial infrastructure, and an environment able to attract partnerships and investments of high technological value.

 

Small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups can also play a significant role in this equation. The modern defence industry increasingly relies on a broad ecosystem of suppliers and developers specialising in software, electronics, artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, cybersecurity, simulation, and advanced materials. Developing a modern defence economy can therefore open new space for Jordan's private sector to take part in high-value-added industries.

 

Most importantly, the opportunities SOFEX offers must translate into measurable economic outcomes. The success of international exhibitions should not be judged only by the number of participants or agreements signed, but by what they produce: investment, technology transfer, joint ventures, growth in local content, quality jobs, stronger industrial capabilities, and higher exports.

 

This is where the significance of the vision that gave rise to SOFEX more than thirty years ago becomes clear. Viewing the defence industry as part of the national development project means that investing in it is not only about enhancing defence readiness but about building a system of economic and technological capabilities whose impact can extend across every sector of the economy.

 

Security and the economy are no longer the separate domains they were traditionally considered to be. In a world where nations compete for technology, supply chains, human capital and markets, industrial and technological capability has become part of what national power means. Those who have knowledge and technology, and the ability to turn them into products, services, and industries, also have a greater ability to protect their economic and security interests.

 

More than three decades after its launch, SOFEX can therefore be seen as more than a specialised defence exhibition. It is a platform that reflects a journey from vision to capability, from capability to industry, and from industry to economy.

 

On this journey, the Royal vision that foresaw early on the importance of building a national defence-industrial base takes on growing economic and developmental significance. The challenge today is not only to keep developing the defence industry, but to maximise its impact on the national economy: linking it with universities, R&D centres and SMEs, fostering innovation and technology transfer, and positioning Jordan as a productive partner in global value chains.

 

Defence economics is not about how much we spend on defence, but about what we build with that spending. Are we building only the capacity to buy, or are we building knowledge, industry, technology, talent, and new markets?

 

Herein lies the strategic value of SOFEX: a place where defence industries do not merely meet, but where Royal vision meets technology, industry meets investment, security meets development, and national capability meets the global economy.