CEO Kevin McAleenan highlights travel and trade as national security imperatives during Global AI Show keynote

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2025-- BigBear.ai, a leading provider of mission-ready AI for defense, intelligence and commercial customers, today announced the opening of its first Middle East office at the World Trade Center Abu Dhabi as part of its significant, long-term investment in the region.

Kevin McAleenan, President & CEO of BigBear.ai and former Acting U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), made the announcement at the Global AI Show. He went on to describe the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a leading force in the application of advanced artificial intelligence in frictionless travel and trade.

“At BigBear.ai, we share the UAE’s ambition and bias for action, bringing to the table deep experience supporting government and commercial partners in the U.S. We are honored to be opening our first Middle East office here and look forward to working together over the coming years,” said Kevin McAleenan, CEO of BigBear.ai.

In recent months, BigBear.ai has established partnerships in the region with Vigilix and Easy Lease, both owned by International Holding Company.

McAleenan underscored during his keynote that BigBear.ai intends to create attractive job opportunities for top Emirati talent while building a diverse, high-performing workforce.

McAleenan continued, “My experience at DHS and leading one of the world’s most advanced domestic security organizations taught me that being first in technological transformation gives you momentum, but follow-through is what really delivers enduring strategic advantage. The promise of AI only matters if you also bring serious focus on execution. We intend to bring that know-how to bear for our partners in business and government in the UAE and beyond.”

About BigBear.ai

BigBear.ai is a leading provider of mission-ready AI solutions and services for defense, national security, and critical infrastructure. Customers and partners rely on BigBear.ai’s artificial intelligence and predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, BigBear.ai is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit https://bigbear.ai and follow BigBear.ai on LinkedIn: @BigBear.ai and X: @BigBearai. To receive email communications from BigBear.ai, register here.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the private placement and may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of the projected financial information (including on a segment reporting basis); risks related to delays caused by factors outside of our control, including changes in fiscal or contracting policies or decreases in available government funding; changes in government programs or applicable requirements; budgetary constraints, including automatic reductions as a result of “sequestration” or similar measures and constraints imposed by any lapses in appropriations for the federal government or certain of its departments and agencies; influence by, or competition from, third parties with respect to pending, new, or existing contracts with government customers; our ability to successfully compete for and receive task orders and generate revenue under Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts; potential delays or changes in the government appropriations or procurement processes, including as a result of events such as war, incidents of terrorism, natural disasters, and public health concerns or epidemics; and increased or unexpected costs or unanticipated delays caused by other factors outside of our control, such as performance failures of our subcontractors; risks related to the rollout of the business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on our future business; our ability to issue equity or equity-linked securities in the future, and those factors discussed in the Company’s reports and other documents filed with the SEC, including under the heading “Risk Factors.” More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251207526493/en/

General/Sales: info@bigbear.ai
Investors: investors@bigbear.ai
Media: media@bigbear.ai

Source: BigBear.ai