In 1999 the British government decided to privatize, as well as join together, the Royal Navy and joint British Army exhibitions (which had taken place since 1976) and the first DSEI (Defense Systems Equipment International) was held. Today DSEI is a major, biennial defense and security trade exhibition held in London, as well as Japan (the first DSEI Japan was held in 2021, DSEI Japan 2023 was the second).