His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, chaired the third meeting of the Defence Council in 2025. During the meeting, Sheikh Hamdan praised the continuous support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and highlighted the leadership’s commitment to developing national talent, investing in human resources, leveraging innovation and advanced technology to build an integrated defence system. His Highness noted that the Defence Council is committed to advance programmes and projects aimed at enhancing operational preparedness and integrating advanced innovations. He highlighted the leadership’s commitment to fully supporting the armed forces, ensuring they remain a global model of efficiency and flexibility. The meeting also discussed the progress of programmes and projects focused on strengthening defence capabilities, and driving comprehensive modernisation across the defence sector.