Military Solutions Rediscovered with Defence Unlimited International

A sovereign nation’s national security is of utmost importance. Whether it is in times of peace or conflict, gearing up your country’s military, those responsible of protecting the nation must be assessing threats and putting in place countermeasures. With each new technology one needs to have the correct solution to counteract such threats.

Defence Unlimited International a company that’s known for its expertise in Government, Defence/Military, and Security Industries. Defence Unlimited International has proven executive leaders in contracting, government procurement policies and practices.

Defence Unlimited International (DUI), is headquartered in Canada and has expanded with offices in USA, UK, Hong Kong, Romania, and Malta. We look at defence in a different way to most competitors. In fact we are not only offering products but also bespoke solutions which add significant value to the client’s portfolio of options.

The business seems to be expanding and was ranked 1 in Canada and was also recognized as one of the game changers in the security industry. What is your take on that?

Unlike other companies we have intentionally adopted a differentiated outsourced model. One can say that we are solution providers and integrators. This means that unlike a single company which does everything but may not be necessarily exceptional at everything, we can rope in the best specialists for specific tasks or requirements. This means that we can be very effective in putting together teams from different companies and integrate them into a functional unit which can deliver the best available solutions and talent. This strategy has allowed our revenue to increase considerably without having to increase massively our own in-house staff however we have very happily shared such success with our partners who in turn benefitted from our access to such opportunities. Broadly speaking we operate at a high level and keep the group tightly knit together with our collaborators. This approach allows us also to compartmentalize information more effectively. A key requisite when dealing with situations we encounter regularly.

What are your enterprise’s unique products and services?

I believe what differentiates us from the rest is that we are in a position to offer, yes, the usual hardware trade, yes, the usual security services, and yes, the usual consultancy. But unlike others, we can operate on all these at the same time, with full vision and long term vision due to our unique experience and knowledge of the market, cultural, and political insight, which definitely not many organizations can boast. DUI can deliver anything related to defense and security industry, be it land, marine or air equipment, any hardware, cybersecurity solutions, security service or transportation, lobbying, ad hoc solutions, training, etc. So this puts us in a position where clients can just come to us and we can provide them with what they need.

What according to you are the 3 important things required for team effectiveness?

Team effectiveness cannot be pinned down to three things. In my opinion, effectiveness is directly related to the target to achieve any element that the team members bring to the table. How to make that team work together effectively, therefore, will always be subject to change. On the other hand, there are three things which are essential to have a team- irrespective of whether they can operate effectively are 1.Loyalty 2.Dedication 3.Respect. In our business, I would also like to add discretion. It is difficult nowadays to find people who bring all these three elements to the table, as they are values that not everyone understands and is ready to give. You will generally find that veterans would be the people who would understand this better, and therefore the understanding between people who have served and those who have not is very different.

The defense industry is a controversial subject, what is your take on that?

I would put that to “education”. The fact is that most people never know even a fraction of the real events that our security forces and security forces across the world have to contend with. Furthermore, Defence operates primarily on the principal of “deterrent”. In other words, if you have a gun and I have a bigger one, you will think twice before attacking me! In practice it is easy to frown on a subject where all one sees is the “spend” but does not always actually measure the benefit of “peace of mind”.

As an example. Let us say a close family member of yours would be living in a part of town where crime rates are high. Would you believe they would feel safer with an alarm system? At least, that system itself is a deterrent which makes sound if there is an intrusion. What about a gated apartment block with continuous security patrols. Would that increase your level of comfort?

Defence of a country is comparable to this. The only difference is that threats are rarely on an individual scale. We have the police covering that angle! The threats one encounters in Defence can range wildly from extremists seeking to secure fissile material or a scientist, to simple border disputes. The number of threats one faces are never ending. This requires solutions across border control, air control, security screening at points of entry, threat assessment of any group or nation which may want to harm the country you live in. There are also the wider interests of corporations operating abroad which ultimately also lead to basic services and products being available at reasonable prices also thanks to stability elsewhere.

People fail to recognize that threats have evolved from the small “tiffs”which existed millenia ago, to situations where as the population of the world has grown and our knowledge as a race has grown, we have gotten to a point where a person pushing a button on the other side of the globe can inflict millions of casualties with a single thermonuclear weapon that can travel at several times the speed of sound.

You look at history and at specific points in time where we the world was at peace a political figure could emerge that changes everything. Although human kind has evolved, the same reasons which drove the likes of Alexander the Great, Hitler, Napoleon and others still remain: Ideology, ethnic piques, superiority complex, Religion, hunger for land, water, resources, righteousness, ambition of wanting to rule more and at times Vanity!

The industry itself is highly regulated and as such anything we do as a company is in strict compliance of  exceptionally stringent requirements. To put it in plain English: No, we are not operating in a manner where we sell weapons like cars which seems to be the impression most of the world has of the defence sector! All we do is strictly within the parameters we are allowed to operate and even then we have discretion to say no to business which may be legal but we may not necessarily be comfortable with. Weapons are a small part of defence. Clients could be interested in the latest border control solutions which can allow them to monitor a 100km patch of desert, or a C5 system.

What problems in your industry could turn into an opportunity?

I don’t think there needs to be a problem for an opportunity. A problem is not a problem if there is no solution and that solution is just a consequence to achieve our targets. In other words, ‘problems’ on their own are just an uncomfortable reality one would have to live with.

Edward Banayoti Founder & Executive Chairman

Edward Sawiris Banayoti, is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Defence Unlimited International. He has over 25 of years experience in the defense, security, and political industries.

“Defence Unlimited International’s vision remains to support our clients to deliver exemplary studies, and solutions in all areas to meet our client’s specific needs.”

“We are always working to provide systems and solutions that suit different needs and models, which requires a deep understanding of all the elements surrounding the requirements of the client.”

“In our business the unexpected is what is expected. There is no room for any mistake.”