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<\/p>\nTRENDS US officially launched with a high-energy and high-level inaugural event held at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Washington, D.C., bringing together senior officials, industry leaders, investors, partners, subject matter experts, and media to experience the company’s groundbreaking vision firsthand.<\/p>\n
Led by Senior Managing Director Bilal Y. Saab, TRENDS US is dedicated to the mission of forging strategic and sustainable partnerships between the United States and the Middle East, primarily in the areas of aerospace and defense and emerging technologies. The firm is a wholly owned US subsidiary of TRENDS Research & Advisory, a private and independent research organization based in the UAE.<\/p>\n
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Bilal Y. Saab<\/em><\/p>\n The launch event featured opening remarks by TRENDS Research and Advisory CEO Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al Ali, followed by a keynote speech by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, the chairman of the UAE Cyber Security Council.<\/p>\n Event attendees also benefited from a lively panel discussion featuring some of the world\u2019s most prominent tech leaders and voices, including Karan Bhatia, Google\u2019s Global Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy; Calista Redmond, NVIDIA\u2019s Vice President for Global AI Initiatives; Michael Brasseur, Saab\u2019s Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President; and Frank Backes, Capella Space\u2019s CEO. Also participating in the panel as a speaker was His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, the Ambassador of the UAE to the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cThe timing of this event is no mere coincidence but rather a deliberate response to a great need to better understand the rapidly evolving strategic environment around us,\u201d said TRENDS CEO Al Ali. \u201cWe need to reimagine international relations beyond the traditional instruments of national power and incorporate technology and innovation, especially in US-MENA partnerships, where the opportunities are immense.\u201d<\/p>\n From left to right: Mohammed Al Ali, Yousef Al Otaiba, and Mohamed Al Kuwaiti<\/em><\/p>\n The event marks the beginning of a series of planned initiatives, conferences, and partnerships that aim to accelerate growth and impact in US-MENA strategic relations. TRENDS US is now actively engaging with big companies, startups, disruptors, early adopters, developers, and public sectors in the United States and the Middle East.<\/p>\n Al Kuwaiti shared with the audience the UAE\u2019s vision for cybersecurity and how AI intersects with that vision. The UAE\u2019s approach, he said, can best be described as a whole-of-government approach. It fosters a strong cybersecurity ecosystem that not only implements cutting-edge technologies but also promotes cybersecurity awareness among citizens and various stakeholders.<\/p>\n Al Kuwaiti stressed on global partnerships to facilitate knowledge sharing and tech cooperation. He also described the UAE\u2019s five-year cybersecurity strategy, which is based on five main pillars: Governance, protection, innovation, capacity building, and partnership. These pillars, he said, ensure that the UAE has a secure, resilient, and sound digital environment.<\/p>\n Mohamed Al Kuwaiti<\/em><\/p>\n Panel moderator Elyazia Al Hosani, the deputy head of TRENDS Media Sector, engaged in a spirited and thought-provoking discussion under the Chatham House rule with Ambassador Al Otaiba and the representatives of the above-mentioned companies on a range of issues including AI innovation and responsible governance, sovereign AI, Cloud AI, data systems, autonomous systems in defense and maritime operations, robotics, and sovereign control and access to commercial space capabilities.<\/p>\n From left to right: <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Elyazia Al Hosani, Yousef Al Otaiba, Karan Bhatia, Michael Brasseur, and Frank Backes<\/em><\/p>\n Multisectoral resilience was a major topic of discussion, given the evolving national security threats and supply chain disruptions and uncertainties around the world. National resilience strategies are not a luxury, said the speakers; they are a must. So is the need to balance between creating new AI models and ensuring quality\/responsible use.<\/p>\n \u00a0Karan Bhatia<\/em><\/p>\n Panelists highlighted the strategic significance of sovereign AI and how countries should invest in their own AI cloud infrastructure, not just to innovate but to enable efficient governance and accelerate public sector research. Cloud AI, a panelist suggested, empowers governments to operate more efficiently and independently.<\/p>\n On screen: Calista Redmond<\/em><\/p>\n On the future of warfare, a panelist made the prediction that real-time data will define the next generation of defense. Maritime and military operations will be conducted at machine speed, thus revolutionizing how governments and militaries plan for and implement defense. Robotics and autonomous systems are now at the core of various military missions, helping, for example, to secure the waters around the Arabian Peninsula.<\/p>\n Michael Brasseur<\/em><\/p>\n Another panelist emphasized the opportunity for tech transfers between the United States and MENA partners to support economic growth and build tech capabilities, including in space. \u201cCyber and space-based networks are the new strategic frontier,\u201d the panelist added.<\/p>\n Frank Backes<\/em><\/p>\n About TRENDS US<\/strong> At TRENDS US, we are driven by the conviction that global commerce and international security benefit tremendously from enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the United States and its partners in the region. Through our first-rate analysis, deep access, and demonstrable convening power both in Washington and in the region, we aspire to shape and contribute to that invaluable mission.<\/p>\n IMPACT over SIZE is not just our motto, it is the philosophy that drives everything we do. Our strength is our passion about and relentless focus on the mission of US-Middle East partnership. Our competitive advantage is the top-level, diverse, and culturally sensitive talent of our people. We are from the Middle East, and from the United States \u2013 uniquely positioned to help you navigate both environments. We build bridges simply because we care.<\/p>\n TRENDS Media Contact:<\/strong> TRENDS US Contact:<\/strong> TRENDS US officially launched with a high-energy and high-level inaugural event held at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Washington, D.C., bringing together senior officials, industry leaders, investors, partners, subject matter experts, and media to experience the company’s groundbreaking vision firsthand. Led by Senior Managing Director Bilal Y. Saab, TRENDS US is dedicated to the mission of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3994"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4130,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994\/revisions\/4130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendsgroup.org\/trendsusa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/trendsresearch.org\/trendsusa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture2.jpg\")
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\nFounded in 2024, TRENDS US is a for-profit, strategic consulting firm that specializes in political, economic, defense, and security relations between the United States and the Middle East. TRENDS US is a wholly owned US subsidiary of TRENDS Research & Advisory, a private and independent research institution based in the UAE.<\/p>\n
\nElyazia Al Hosani
\nResearcher and Deputy Head of the Administrative Affairs and Media Sector
\nelyazia@trendsresearch.org
\n(+971)-026440464
\nhttps:\/\/trendsresearch.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\nBilal Y. Saab
\nSenior Managing Director
\nbilal_saab@trendsresearch.org<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/trendsresearch.org\/trendsusa\/<\/a>
\n(202) 813-1747<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"