The Economics of Defence Procurement in the Gulf Cooperation Council

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have long stood at the intersection of global geopolitics, commanding vast energy resources and attracting extensive defence partnerships. Despite decades of investment, their military capabilities remain heavily dependent on foreign suppliers and external support systems. This book explores how GCC states have used defence procurement not only to enhance military capability but also as a vehicle for industrial development, localisation, and technology transfer – an increasingly strategic ambition in an era of shifting global power. It goes beyond a solely Gulf-centric perspective and examines the interdependency between GCC defence ambitions and the strategic and commercial interest of foreign, specifically Western suppliers, for whom Gulf markets remain important to defence exports, industrial strategies, R&D financing and technological development. The book also examines how procurement decisions and localisation outcomes are shaped by geopolitical relationships, defence diplomacy, supplier business strategies, buyer-supplier bargaining power and decision-making processes, which reveals the complexity of power dynamics that influence localisation outcomes. Drawing on an interdisciplinary systems-thinking approach, the book combines theory, history, detailed country case studies, and practitioner insights to examine why traditional offset and industrial participation models have often failed to deliver sustainable industrial and technological capability. The analysis reveals how defence industrialisation is increasingly intertwined with diplomacy, foreign relations, and regional security – reshaping alliances, dependencies, and the pursuit of strategic autonomy across the Gulf. This book offers the first comprehensive, comparative study of GCC defence procurement and industrial development, bridging academic and practitioner perspectives to illuminate one of the most consequential defence transformations of the twenty-first century. It will appeal to scholars, policymakers and defence professionals interested in Middle Eastern defence and security, international relations, industrial policy, technology and innovation, and political economy.