The inaugural First Balkan Shield \u2013 Defense Industry Expo & Summit 2026 has concluded in Sarajevo, marking the beginning of what organizers say will become a regular meeting point for the regional and international defence industry.<\/p>\n
Held from September 1\u20134, the first edition brought together 2,500 accredited visitors, 30 exhibitors from 15 countries and 15 high-level international delegations, including defence ministers from Egypt, T\u00fcrkiye and Germany.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Defensehere on the final day, Denis Silajd\u017ei\u0107, Director of UNIS Group and organizer of Balkan Shield, described the first edition as a successful start and confirmed that the event will return to Sarajevo every two years.<\/p>\n
The Bosnian government has officially announced that the exhibition will become a biennial event, with the next edition scheduled for September 1, 2028.<\/p>\n
From first edition to long-term platform<\/p>\n
The decision to establish Balkan Shield as a recurring exhibition reflects the organizers\u2019 ambition to create a platform that connects Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s defence industry with international manufacturers, governments and potential partners.<\/p>\n
The first edition deliberately maintained a relatively compact footprint, with around 3,000 square metres of indoor exhibition space and 1,000 square metres outdoors.<\/p>\n
According to Silajd\u017ei\u0107, the organizers prioritized quality and business engagement over scale during the inaugural event. That approach appears to have already produced results, with defence-industry agreements emerging during the exhibition.<\/p>\n
One example highlighted by the organizers was cooperation between Turkish defence company Aselsan and Bosnian ammunition manufacturer Ginex, based in Gora\u017ede.<\/p>\n
While the first edition was intended to establish the platform, the emergence of concrete business activity has added an important dimension to the event\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n
High-level international presence<\/p>\n
The exhibition\u2019s international profile was reinforced by the participation of senior government and defence representatives.<\/p>\n
Three defence ministers \u2014 from Egypt, T\u00fcrkiye and Germany \u2014 were among 15 international high-level delegations attending the event, alongside representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s government, armed forces and defence industry.<\/p>\n
The opening ceremony also highlighted the strategic importance of strengthening Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s domestic industrial capabilities.<\/p>\n
Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s Defence Minister Zukan Helez described the exhibition as an important milestone for the country\u2019s economy and defence industry, emphasizing the expertise accumulated by local engineers and the importance of further developing the domestic industrial base.<\/p>\n
The presence of international companies and delegations also underlined the potential for the country\u2019s defence manufacturers to become more closely connected with international supply chains and industrial partnerships.<\/p>\n
Technology and the future of defence manufacturing<\/p>\n
Beyond the exhibition floor, Balkan Shield featured an expert programme focused on the transformation of the defence industry and the challenges facing manufacturers in a changing international market.<\/p>\n
More than 30 expert speakers contributed to the programme, while two central panel discussions examined both Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s defence-industrial outlook and the wider international market.<\/p>\n
The panel titled \u201cThe Future of the Defense Industry in BiH \u2013 From Record Exports to Sustainable Growth\u201d focused on the country\u2019s industrial potential and the challenge of translating existing capabilities into sustainable long-term growth.<\/p>\n
A second discussion, \u201cThe International Defense Industry Market,\u201d examined global defence spending, geopolitical developments and their impact on international defence markets.<\/p>\n
Technology was another major theme, with discussions covering areas including 3D printing, advanced structural materials and new approaches to the production and welding of armoured steels.<\/p>\n
These themes reflected a broader shift within the defence sector, where industrial competitiveness increasingly depends not only on production capacity but also on engineering expertise, advanced manufacturing and the ability to develop international partnerships.<\/p>\n
Bigger Balkan Shield planned for 2028<\/p>\n
The organizers are already looking beyond the first edition.<\/p>\n
Silajd\u017ei\u0107 said the 2028 exhibition is expected to approximately double the current exhibition space, with plans for around 4,000 square metres indoors and another 4,000 square metres outdoors.<\/p>\n
The expansion would give Balkan Shield greater capacity to accommodate additional exhibitors, equipment displays and international delegations while maintaining its focus on business and expert engagement.<\/p>\n
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, the establishment of a recurring international defence exhibition represents an opportunity to showcase its industrial base and connect domestic manufacturers with a wider market.<\/p>\n
For the wider region, Balkan Shield could provide a new platform for defence companies, governments and technology developers to build partnerships at a time when European and regional demand for defence capabilities is increasing.<\/p>\n
The first edition may have been deliberately modest in size, but its organizers are leaving Sarajevo with a clear ambition for the next chapter: a larger exhibition, broader international participation and more concrete industrial cooperation.<\/p>\n
With the next edition already scheduled for September 1, 2028, Balkan Shield has now moved from a first-time exhibition to an established biennial event on the defence-industry calendar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The inaugural First Balkan Shield \u2013 Defense Industry Expo & Summit 2026 has concluded in Sarajevo, marking the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[14],"class_list":["post-9107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-defence-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}