Security companies from 33 countries gathered in Doha this week for Milipol Qatar, displaying drones, robots and AI systems as the country reviews its defences following the Iran war.
The three-day exhibition, which ended Thursday, covered equipment for policing, emergency response and industrial safety, along with discussions on cybersecurity and protecting essential services.
Alexandros Lakatamitis, general manager of West Bay Petroleum, which brought drones to the exhibition, said government and industry customers were taking security more seriously.
“The security bubble that we’ve enjoyed for so long is no longer there,” he told Euronews.
Lakatamitis, who grew up in Qatar, said security had become a more pressing consideration across government and business, including among the customers his company speaks to daily.
Around 280 companies participated in the exhibition at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, according to Major Khalid Saadon Al-Kuwari, a member of the Milipol organising committee. About 70% came from outside Qatar.
Major Al-Kuwari said the event brought together “solutions for whatever challenges that different governments and different countries are facing”.
He said it gave governments an opportunity to examine systems already tested in other countries and consider how they could be used at home.
The exhibition took place during a week of security discussions in Doha.
On Monday, Qatar’s Defence Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the country was drawing on lessons from the Iran war to improve protection against ballistic missiles, drones and cyberattacks.
He also outlined plans for a local defence production hub and closer cooperation with regional and international partners.
Sending machines into danger
On the exhibition floor, companies also presented equipment intended for civilian emergencies and hazardous industrial work.
Lakatamitis described how drones could search large areas for missing people. Photographs collected during a flight can be analysed by software to identify possible signs of a person, helping rescuers decide where to concentrate their efforts, he said.
He also pointed to industrial inspections, where a drone fitted with gas-detection equipment could investigate a suspected leak without sending someone into a potentially dangerous location.
Those applications were part of a broader discussion about using AI in security. The second Doha International Conference on AI & Security ran alongside Milipol, with sessions on responsible AI use, autonomous systems and the protection of critical infrastructure.
At a cybersecurity seminar on Thursday, officials discussed how to keep essential services operating during an attack.
Khalid Al Nasr, assistant director of the information security department at Qatar’s National Cyber Security Agency, said the response needed to extend beyond restoring IT infrastructure to ensuring vital government services continued or were restored within an acceptable timeframe.
At the discussion, Al Nasr called for cybersecurity to be incorporated into disaster recovery and crisis management plans, with clear responsibilities to reduce confusion during an incident.
The exhibition also saw fresh international security agreements. Qatar and France signed a cooperation plan between their interior ministries covering 2027–2030, aimed at strengthening coordination and exchanges of expertise.
A joint statement following French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Doha said the expanded partnership covered homeland security and civil protection.
On Thursday, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani launched the sixth Watan exercise during a visit to Milipol. The exercise brings together security, military, and civilian agencies to rehearse emergency responses.