MS international security summit

BILOXI, Miss. – The State of Mississippi hosted an International Homeland Defense and Security Summit March 13 in this Gulf Coast city with an Air Force base and shipyard. Among attendees was the U.S. Coast Guard’s commandant; a general from India; and representatives from Taiwan and South Korea, but it appears Israel was a major player. Sixteen Israeli companies attended the summit, along with a delegation from Israel’s Defense Ministry and arms industry. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant couldn’t stop talking about Israel, crediting a 2016 national security conference he spoke at in Israel as the inspiration for this summit. Bryant noted that Israel knows about homeland security. They live in a “tough neighborhood,” the governor said. The Israeli delegation featured companies specializing in security technology. They were there to expand into the U.S. market with multiple tools, including a border security sensor system, and a surveillance system that is already being used in Baltimore and Houston police departments. Summit discussions focused on the Gulf Coast’s maritime economy, including boats ferrying drugs, migrants, and weapons across the waters; natural disasters like hurricanes; area military presence; and how manufacturing equipment like drones can boost Mississippi. (Source: Times of Israel 03/15/18) Israel Aerospace Industries has two facilities in Mississippi, including Stark Aerospace in Columbus.