The Region's Leading Conference in Military Logistics for 2010

DUBAI, January 14 /PRNewswire/ --

- 3rd Annual Defence Logistics Middle East, 24 to 27 January, Armed Forces Officers Club

One of the least publicised elements of the cost of the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq is the need to transport almost all the perishable and non-perishable food items consumed by U.S. forces and civilian personnel engaged in the operations, into Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to the Washington Post on 11 January 2010, the Defense Logistics Agency is preparing to contract out delivery of more than US$10 billion worth of food to U.S. troops and other government personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Jordan. The solicitation for the prime vendor contract to supply food for the Afghanistan area for the five years beginning in 2011 starts in March.

The worth of this contract reiterate the fact that while the logistics of equipment and supplies can be extremely costly, effective supply chain is critical to the success of the military operations in the region.

The 3rd Annual Defence Logistics Middle East, held from 24 to 27 January 2010 at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi, will address the logistics and supply chain challenges and strategies for achieving supply security, cost effectiveness and timely delivery.

The impressive expert speaking panel includes Colonel Denis Dion, Chief of Operational Support Transformation, CANOSCOM; Baudouin Heuninckx, Advisor to the Head of Air Material Branch, Belgian Ministry of Defence; Colonel Furio Zanatta, Logistic Command, 2nd Division - 1st Department, Head 1st Office "Combat Aircraft", Italian Air Force; Colonel Raimo Petasnoro, Chief of Logistics, Army Materiel Command, Finland Army Materiel Command; Mike Connor, Deputy Head of Logistics, NATO International Staff; and David Dickie, Director, Advance Aid.

Designed to transform the region's military logistics infrastructure into a true force multiplier and revolutionise the operational capability of the Armed Forces, the newly expanded conference programme will include a number of streamed sessions to allow attendees to tailor their own learning experience. Attendees can choose sessions ranging from best of breed practices for procurement; inventory and spare part management; and humanitarian, joint and expeditionary logistics operations.

Grace Chng, Conference Director, IQPC Middle East says "The 3rd Annual Defence Logistics Middle East event looks set to surpass all expectations in terms of its speaker line-up, content and participation turnout. We are expecting well over 100 attendees from the military and industry. Everyone is very excited about this event - especially the armed forces within the region as they move towards building their logistical and supply chain capabilities for improved readiness and cost effectiveness."

About IQPC Middle East:

For over thirty years, IQPC has helped the world's leading corporations solve their business challenges through the sharing of practical industry solutions and global best practice. In the process, the company has built a formidable reputation for quality and value. During this time, the Middle East's most progressive companies have benefited from IQPC's unrivalled global reach, which has connected international expertise with regional and local leaders.

For more information on the event contact Jennifer Tsao +971-4-360-2814, [email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE IQPC Middle East