Jewish Institute for National Security of America

JINSA places a robust U.S.-Israel security relationship at the center of its approach to American national security interests in the Middle East.[8] Its stated mission combines educational programs for American, Israeli, and other Middle Eastern military leaders with research and policy recommendations intended to influence U.S. policy.[8] The organization describes itself as nonpartisan and operates as a 501(c)(3) organization.[8]

Its institutional outlook links a strong American military posture to the security of the United States, Israel, and other democratic allies.[9] JINSA's mission statement expresses the belief that Israel is America's most capable and critical security partner in the twenty-first century and that a strong United States is the best guarantor of Western civilization.[8] These principles underpin educational programs designed to build relationships among American, Israeli, and other Middle Eastern partner military leaders.[8]

Michael Makovsky has served as president and chief executive officer since 2013.[1] His policy work encompasses U.S.-Israel defense ties and American policy toward Iran, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, the Persian Gulf, energy, and the Eastern Mediterranean.[1] The organization's membership includes former high-ranking American military officials, while its programs serve audiences ranging from recently retired generals and admirals to serving officers and congressional national-security professionals.[6][4]

JINSA was founded in 1976 in response to lessons drawn from the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[3] Strengthening U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation was central to its mission, alongside communicating with national-security officials and the public about Israel's importance to American interests and the connection between U.S. defense policy and Israeli security.[3] Earlier materials used the name Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, while the organization's current name is Jewish Institute for National Security of America.[3][8]

The Generals and Admirals Program began in 1981 to educate recently retired U.S. military leaders about Israel's security challenges and the relevance of the bilateral relationship to American national security.[10] JINSA inaugurated its Distinguished Service Award the following year, with Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson as its first recipient.[11] The annual award recognizes leaders whose careers align with the organization's foundational values.[11]

Following the September 11 attacks, JINSA established its Homeland Security Program to exchange counterterrorism practices between American law enforcement and Israeli practitioners.[5] Its Law Enforcement Exchange Program, commonly abbreviated LEEP, was created in 2002 in coordination with the Israel National Police and other Israeli agencies.[2] A U.S. conference series followed in 2004, extending the program's reach beyond officials able to travel to Israel.[12]

A June 6, 2004, board resolution articulated JINSA's support for Israel's authority to determine its own security measures, declaring that “the first obligation and chief priority of every sovereign government is to defend and protect its own citizens and territory.”[3] The resolution supported the elected Israeli government's right to make security decisions without outside pressure and commended President George W. Bush's positions on Israel's legitimacy, defensible borders, and a peaceful settlement.[3]

By 2012, JINSA was producing weekly and monthly policy reports and a scholarly journal published twice annually.[13] It planned six educational trips that year, including a visit by 66 American military-academy cadets and midshipmen intended to develop their understanding of the alliance and regional issues.[13] Makovsky assumed the presidency and chief executive role in 2013.[1]

Later programs expanded the organization's educational audiences: the Military Leadership Education Program was inaugurated in 2016, the U.S. Military Leaders Program in 2019, and the Congressional National Security Program to Israel in 2022.[4] JINSA's fiftieth-anniversary gala was scheduled for December 17, 2026, in North Miami, Florida, with planned remarks by Ron Dermer, retired General Jack Keane, and Makovsky.[14]

JINSA's Generals and Admirals Program has brought more than 500 retired American generals and admirals, including former service chiefs and combatant commanders, to Israel.[10] Visits include meetings with senior Israeli military, intelligence, and government leaders, alongside tours of strategic sites and Israel's borders.[10] The program gives participants opportunities to discuss threats facing Israel and shared regional security challenges directly with Israeli leaders.[10]

Military education also extends to serving officers and future leaders.[4] The Military Leadership Education Program addresses current and future leaders from the armed forces of key U.S. allies, particularly in the Middle East, while the U.S. Military Leaders Program serves active-duty American officers.[4] The Congressional National Security Program to Israel provides bipartisan education for congressional national-security professionals.[4]

The Homeland Security Program brings together representatives of federal agencies and state and local law enforcement in cooperation with the Israel National Police, Israel's Ministry of Internal Security, and the Israel Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet.[5] Its exchange model combines study visits for selected senior American officials, U.S. conferences reaching a wider audience, and dissemination of lessons to personnel unable to participate directly.[2] The goal is to share counterterrorism knowledge while building continuing communication and cooperation among officials.[12]

JINSA's published program figures record participation by more than 200 law-enforcement executives from nearly as many municipal, county, state, and federal agencies.[5] The organization also lists ten American conferences with combined attendance exceeding 10,500 law-enforcement personnel.[5] An earlier government backgrounder recorded that the conference series, established in 2004, had introduced more than 8,000 American officials to Israeli counterterrorism methodology.[12]

Exchange activities have included discussions of responses to attacks, de-escalation, intelligence-sharing, attackers' ideologies, and building trust with minority communities.[15] Participants have visited hospital trauma units and crime scenes and spoken with imprisoned attackers.[15] A specialized trip for American bomb-squad commanders focused on post-blast forensics and materials used in explosive devices.[15] At a 2006 program event, David Justman was identified as JINSA's vice president and Steve Pomerantz as its counterterrorism director; a Las Vegas conference was also planned.[2]

Research is organized through the Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy, which conducts research and education on American defense, strategic, and national-security issues.[16] Its listed projects encompass U.S.-Israel security, the Abraham Accords, Iran, the Eastern Mediterranean, Gaza, hybrid warfare, the Jordan Valley, Israel-China relations, and electromagnetic-pulse threats.[16]

One major proposal advocated moving Israel into U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.[6] American geographic combatant commands implement defense policy within their regions and coordinate with partner militaries on strategic planning, training, intelligence, technology, and operations.[6] JINSA presented the proposed change as a framework for more regular U.S.-Israeli-Arab military exercises and closer operational cooperation against shared threats.[6]

The proposal envisioned a region-wide missile-defense network, shared early-warning alerts, and cooperation to disrupt Iranian transfers of advanced weapons to proxies threatening Israel, American forces, and Sunni states.[6] It also called for CENTCOM-led joint exercises and Iran-focused contingency planning, with a framework through which Israel could share information about efforts to disrupt Iranian force-building.[6] The report described exercises as “crucial for developing effective theater missile defenses, as well as boosting readiness and interoperability in cyber, counter-terrorism, special operations, and maritime security.”[6]

JINSA framed the CENTCOM proposal as a way to facilitate collective regional action against Iranian influence, improve preparation for possible conflict, and strengthen day-to-day military cooperation.[6] Its foreign-policy director, Jonathan Ruhe, reported that reactions in both defense establishments had initially been mixed but had become more positive over the preceding three years.[6] In March 2018, CENTCOM first listed Israel as a partner for theater security cooperation and partnership, citing growing threats from Iran and the Islamic State.[6]

JINSA has also advocated a U.S.-Israel mutual-defense agreement, beginning a campaign in 2018 and renewing it with an updated proposal in 2023.[7] The organization argued that a pact could advance American strategic interests, help deter a nuclear Iran, and complement efforts toward Israeli-Saudi normalization.[7] Its proposed treaty was intended to apply only in exceptional circumstances, setting a threshold above lower-level armed attacks against Israel.[7]

At a JINSA conference in Washington in November 2019, Ron Dermer promoted a defense agreement as an expression of the alliance, a source of additional deterrence against extreme threats, and a foundation for a major upgrade in bilateral relations.[17] Senator Lindsey Graham also advocated an agreement at the conference.[17] Dermer joined JINSA as a research fellow in July 2021 and subsequently maintained contact with its personnel while promoting a defense pact.[18]

During the first 15 months of Dermer's government tenure, his calendars recorded 23 meetings or calls with institute personnel, including 13 in the summer of 2023.[18] JINSA prepared a detailed draft treaty and held events intended to build support among American policymakers and the public.[18] Its case for an agreement linked stronger Israeli deterrence to American interests, including Israel's purchases of American weapons.[18]

Other policy proposals have addressed Iranian regional activity and American support for Israel.[19] At the organization's thirty-sixth annual awards dinner in 2018, Makovsky discussed interdicting Iranian arms shipments to Syria and Yemen, providing Israel with additional capabilities, potentially frontloading American defense aid, and supporting strong autonomy or independence for Syrian Kurds.[19] He described an Iran policy of “rollback” and identified work by JINSA and fellow Sander Gerber on the Taylor Force Act.[19] A JINSA report published in March 2026 called for moving additional American military assets to Ovda Air Base in Israel.[20]

JINSA's sustained engagement with retired American military leaders is a distinctive part of its role in U.S.-Israel relations, with its Generals and Admirals Program combining direct access to Israeli leaders and strategic sites with education about shared security interests.[10] Its wider educational work connects military officers, congressional professionals, and law-enforcement executives with Israeli counterparts.[4][5] Policy research and recommendations provide a parallel means of seeking influence over American defense and Middle East policy.[8]

In his analysis of Jewish political involvement, Daniel J. Elazar characterized JINSA as having become “the Jewish lobby at the Pentagon,” linking its support for a strong American military posture to perceived shared interests of the United States, Israel, and the free world.[9] He described the organization as building contacts with the defense establishment to pursue those interests and strengthen Pentagon support for Israeli concerns.[9] Theodore Sasson's analysis placed JINSA among right-leaning American Jewish organizations that pursued their own policy agendas rather than simply promoting the preferences of the Israeli government.[21] His examples included opposition to assistance for the Palestinian Authority and Gaza disengagement, alongside support for more hawkish responses to Iran's nuclear program.[21]

The Distinguished Service Award provides another public expression of JINSA's institutional priorities.[11] In 2019, Senator Lindsey Graham received the award for his support of a strong American foreign policy and the U.S.-Israel security relationship.[11]

The organization's personnel have also contributed to discussion of institutional learning and defense innovation.[22] In a 2026 essay, retired IDF Major General Yaacov Ayish, identified as JINSA's senior vice president for Israeli affairs, and co-author Mark Fox argue that Israeli defense experience could help the United States accelerate institutional learning, integrate operators into innovation, and prioritize relevance within defense institutions.[22] A Tikvah Ideas author profile identifies Joshua E. London as JINSA's director of government affairs.[23]

JINSA's law-enforcement exchanges have been opposed by Jewish Voice for Peace's “Deadly Exchange” campaign, which says U.S. and Israeli authorities exchange methods including mass surveillance, racial profiling, and suppression of protest.[24] JINSA's Homeland Security Program director Steven Pomerantz rejected claims that the exchanges involved abusive or tactical instruction, saying they focused on counterterrorism and did not include field training or arrest mechanics.[24]

The proposed mutual-defense treaty has generated a separate policy dispute.[25] JINSA argues that an agreement would strengthen deterrence, while critics in Israel's defense establishment have warned that it could restrict Israeli military independence and require American approval or coordination for major operations.[25][18]

Descriptions of JINSA's political orientation also differ: the organization identifies itself as nonpartisan, and a 2012 profile reported its effort to maintain a bipartisan identity, whereas a 2024 profile characterized it as Republican and hawkish.[8][25]