Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement and Lockheed Martin have signed an agreement to establish a Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in the United Arab Emirates, in a strategic move aimed at strengthening the UAE’s national capabilities in the digital domain.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of Make it in the Emirates 2026 by Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, Director-General of Industry Development at Tawazun, and Daniel Mouton, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Middle East, in the presence of Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Council, Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, and officials from Data7,a WAM news agency report said.

Under the agreement, Lockheed Martin and Data7 will establish a Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, which comes as a part of the UAE’s Tawazun Economic Programme, overseen by the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement.

The centre is envisioned as a comprehensive national platform that strengthens the UAE's cybersecurity readiness, fosters innovation, and supports the development of an integrated digital security ecosystem aligned with the country's strategic priorities.

The agreement aims to establish a technology transfer framework with Data7 to advance sovereign digital capabilities and localise cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies within the UAE, in close coordination with the UAE Cybersecurity Council to strengthen national cybersecurity readiness and support the development of skilled Emirati talent to meet evolving digital security demands.