National Security College (Israel)

The National Security College occupies a singular place in Israel's security architecture as the apex educational institution for the country's most senior serving officers and officials. Described in an Israeli Civil Service Commission notice as "the highest state institution for national-security studies," its core purpose is to prepare participants for leadership roles at the political-strategic level — where military command, foreign policy, intelligence, and government administration converge.[1]

The College is formally part of the IDF's Unit of Colleges, alongside the Inter-Service Command and Staff College and the Tactical Command College. A State Comptroller report described the unit as headed by an IDF major general who was a member of the General Staff and simultaneously served as commandant of the National Security College.[2] English-language sources use the name Israel National Defense College and the acronym INDC, while Hebrew government sources use National Security College and the acronym MABAL.[1][4] An IDF High Command Directive places the commandant under the IDF Chief of the General Staff, coordinated through the Head of Doctrine and Training, and directs the College to maintain contact with General Staff directorates and service branches.[7]

The College also has an affiliated Research Center, identified by INSS as the publisher of the Eshtonot research-paper series on national-security issues.[8] Through its academic program and research output, the College provides a forum for the development and critical examination of Israeli strategic thought.

The Israeli government authorized establishment of the National Defense College on July 22, 1962.[4] The initiative came from IDF Chief of Staff Haim Laskov, who believed that senior IDF leaders lacked a course preparing them for duties at the political-strategic level.[4] The institution was conceived as an educational body in a military setting, where high-ranking officers would study alongside representatives of the Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Defense ministries, thereby gaining a national perspective on security rather than a purely military one.[4]

The College opened in October 1963 with an intended cohort of about 25 participants, selected for high standards and promotion potential and drawn from across IDF branches as well as the civilian government sector. Approximately one-third were to be IDF officers holding the ranks of lieutenant colonel or colonel.[4] The curriculum covered economics, Israel's government, the Middle East, Israel and Judaism, Israel and the world, science and the state, international relations, and military foundations. Students prepared seminar papers in mixed teams on subjects with broad security implications requiring coordination among government bodies.[4]

Despite these ambitions, the College's early years were troubled. When Prime Minister Levi Eshkol asked Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin whether the College contributed to Israel's security strength, Rabin answered negatively, characterizing its content as general knowledge rather than focused strategic preparation.[4] A ministerial committee convened on June 27, 1966, resolved to empower the Defense Minister to appoint a body to examine whether the College should continue, citing budget-reduction policy and the country's economic situation. The institution closed approximately four years after its opening.[4]

The catalyst for revival came roughly a year after the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Instruction Branch head Major General Menachem Marom proposed reestablishing the College. Marom argued that, without such an institution, senior officers were operating at the strategic level without training or institutional direction, and he proposed that the College also become a venue for guiding and collecting research on Israel's strategic issues.[4] A proposal to reestablish it was presented to the government on May 23, 1976, with the founding team's terms submitted in December of that year. At the opening ceremony, the Chief of the General Staff challenged it to become an arena for discussing Israel's existential questions.[4]

An IDF High Command Directive dated October 1978 described the reestablished College as temporarily located at the Inter-Service Command and Staff College pending construction of a permanent facility in Jerusalem.[7] On September 1, 1991, the College came under the Headquarters of the Military Colleges; an IDF institutional history describes the colleges as a consolidated General Staff unit based at Glilot.[4][9] The College began admitting students from foreign militaries in 2006, a decision initiated by the then commander of the colleges, Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven.[4]

In 2017, a cornerstone for a new Military Colleges campus in Jerusalem was laid, with relocation from Glilot planned for the future.[9] In July 2026, the IDF and Ministry of Defense announced that work had begun on the Shoham 4 project to establish the campus. The work included infrastructure development, site preparation, and construction of campus buildings, but the report did not state that the move had been completed.[3]

Government sources describe the College as Israel's highest state institution for national-security studies, charged with preparing senior security and government personnel for leadership roles.[1] An IDF High Command Directive defines its purpose as enabling senior personnel in the IDF, the security establishment, and government to study and research Israel's security problems. Its annual program is intended to address the foundations of national security and state strength; political, economic, social, and technological contexts; present and future security and military issues; and independent and team research.[7]

The Israeli Civil Service Commission describes the College's aim as giving participants an in-depth understanding of Israel's present and future national-security needs and of the ideas and institutions that shape national policy and action.[1] Students are expected to analyze the country's security, political, social, economic, and technological components and their interrelationships; develop applied knowledge of national-security issues to assist decision-making; and acquire integrative methods, a common language, and shared work practices.[5]

The High Command Directive places the commandant under the IDF Chief of the General Staff, coordinated through the Head of Doctrine and Training, and provides for direct contact with General Staff directorates and service branches.[7] A State Comptroller report described the head of the broader Unit of Colleges as an IDF major general, a member of the General Staff, and simultaneously the commander of the National Security College.[2] An advisory committee of ten members drawn from academia, the economic sector, and veterans of the security system was established to support the Unit of Colleges commander; the College issued a procedure formalizing this committee in August 2007.[2]

Sources describe a program lasting approximately ten to eleven months: the 1978 High Command Directive specifies roughly eleven months, while more recent reporting describes it as about ten months, reflecting different program periods.[7][10] The curriculum combines academic instruction with independent and group study and research on major issues in security doctrine.[7]

In 2018, the University of Haifa won the first combined tender for the academic programs of all three IDF military colleges. The Ministry of Defense described the arrangement as intended to strengthen military research, maintain continuity in officer training, and improve financial efficiency.[11] The academic work was to involve dozens of university lecturers and outside subject-matter experts, supported by a dedicated administrative unit.[11]

The degree-program curriculum was developed jointly with the University of Haifa and awards graduates a Master of Arts in Political Science with a specialization in national security and strategy.[12] Course schedules spanning academic years 2017/18 through 2021/22 list subjects including national-security foundations, strategic thought, geopolitics and geostrategy, Israeli society, foreign policy and diplomacy, public law, economics, technology, intelligence, and seminars on energy, cyber strategy, and communications.[12]

Participants who meet all program requirements receive both the National Security College graduate certificate and the University of Haifa M.A. in Political Science.[5] The university connection predates the 2018 combined tender: Ephraim Lavi received an M.A. with distinction from the College and the University of Haifa's Department of Political Science in class 24 in 1997, and Rear Admiral Yuval Eylon holds an M.A. from the College and Haifa University.[13][14]

The College's cohorts are composed of senior IDF officers and civilian officials at comparable levels. The IDF High Command Directive identifies intended students as IDF officers of colonel rank and above designated for advancement, together with senior civilian officials at comparable levels.[7] The Civil Service Commission's notice for Class 53, covering September 2025 to July 2026, described a planned cohort of approximately 40 participants: 15 senior officers as determined by the IDF chief of staff and approximately 25 participants from security organizations and government ministries.[1]

Civilian applicants face detailed eligibility criteria. They must hold positions meeting specified seniority grades or equivalents, have at least five years of civil-service experience, and be involved in setting and implementing public policy. Additional requirements include a research-institution bachelor's degree with a final grade of at least 76, relevant professional experience, demonstrated relevance of their work to national security, ability to contribute their ministry's perspective to the cohort, good spoken and reading English, and a Top Secret security classification. Final acceptance is conditional on an interview and approval by the commander of the colleges.[1]

Cohorts have also included participants from foreign militaries — a practice that began in 2006 — and representatives of foreign governments.[4] Class 48, which studied at Glilot in 2021, included 44 officers from the IDF and other security and emergency organizations, as well as representatives of foreign governments.[15] JNS reported that the 53rd class numbered 43 graduates drawn from the IDF, security agencies, and government ministries, all slated for senior command and management roles.[10]

A State Comptroller audit of the Class 34 cohort in academic year 2006–2007 found that only two of 32 participants represented government ministries outside the defense and security bodies — both from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and concluded that the proportion from broader civilian ministries was very low.[2] The Civil Service Commission's more recent notice suggests an effort to increase civilian participation, with the Class 53 composition formula allocating approximately 25 of about 40 seats to participants from security organizations and government ministries outside the IDF.[1]

The College's Strategic Research and Policy Center — also described as the Research Center adjacent to the National Security College–IDF — publishes research on national-security topics. The National Library of Israel catalogs both the College itself and its Strategic Research and Policy Center as distinct institutional entities.[16]

The Center publishes the Eshtonot series of research papers. Examples include a 2014 paper by Y. Bidatz and D. Adamsky that critically examined the theoretical and practical aspects of Israel's deterrence approach, and a 2013 paper by T. Yadei and E. Ortal on the "deterrence-rounds" paradigm. These papers questioned whether repeated Israeli military operations against non-state adversaries produce effective, lasting deterrence — conclusions presented as the authors' own analysis rather than institutional positions.[8]

The Research Center has also published book-length studies under the Studies in National Security series. A 2008 volume by Arieh Roter on the role of gatekeepers in intelligence organizations appeared as number 6 in that series, running 60 pages and using Israel's General Security Service as its case study.[17] A 2009 publication by Itzhak Gerberg on India-Israel strategic relations was produced with assistance from the University of Haifa's Chaikin Chair for Geostrategy and included a bibliography and an English abstract.[18] A 2010 volume by Roter on the legislative history of Israel's General Security Service law ran to 255 pages and included bibliographic notes and appendices containing the 2002 law and a 1998 bill.[19]

Beyond these in-house publications, College fellows and alumni contribute research to external venues. A 2024 article in INSS's Strategic Assessment was described as based on research conducted within the framework of the National Security College at the University of Haifa, supervised by Professor Yossi Ben-Arzi.[20]

The College's alumni include prominent figures in Israel's military and national-security establishment. Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman joined the IDF General Staff in 2015, served as College commander while simultaneously commanding the Northern Corps, and was appointed the 22nd head of the Intelligence Directorate in 2018. His INSS biography also states that he holds a master's degree from the College.[6] Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, later a national-security adviser, served as a commander of the National Defense College and the IDF Staff and Command College.[21]

Beyond uniformed commanders, the College's graduates span Israel's public institutions. Shai Nitzan, a former State Attorney who was later appointed rector of the National Library of Israel, graduated with honors from the National Security College.[22] Ephraim Lavi received his M.A. with distinction in class 24 in 1997, a cohort that studied jointly with the University of Haifa's Department of Political Science.[13] Rear Admiral Yuval Eylon holds an M.A. from the College and Haifa University.[14]

In 2021, President Isaac Herzog personally singled out Colonel Shay Siman Tov at the graduation ceremony, noting that Siman Tov had been wounded when a tunnel beam collapsed during Operation Protective Edge, recovered, and returned to command soldiers. Herzog called him a source of inspiration and strength.[15]

The College's annual graduation ceremonies draw senior political and military leaders and provide a forum for statements on national-security strategy. At the July 2024 ceremony, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi spoke. Halevi described military action as an essential component of strategic action and emphasized the importance of the broader national and social campaign.[23]

At the July 9, 2025 graduation, Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the challenge of preventing Iran from restoring capabilities damaged in the preceding conflict, calling for the development of an enforcement plan to that end.[24]

JNS reported that the 53rd class graduated on July 8, 2026.[10] An INSS article dates Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir's remarks to the graduates to July 9. Zamir described an IDF security concept involving striking and defeating the enemy, removing threats in advance, and creating demilitarized spaces in enemy territory.[25] President Herzog addressed the graduates as "the commanders and managers of the future of the security system" and urged them to uphold state-minded public service, maintain conviction in the justice of their mission, think critically, and not fear voicing a professional position that differs from the prevailing view.[26]

Across recent ceremonies, speakers have used the platform to discuss the relationship between military force and strategy, policy toward Iran, and the responsibilities of senior leadership.[23][24] The 2026 addresses similarly linked the College's training mission to debate over Israel's evolving security concept and the professional obligations of future commanders and officials.[25][26]

Several operational and administrative questions have surrounded the College at various points. A 2008 Tax Authority ruling treated employer-funded studies at the College as a lasting taxable benefit to the employee and instructed that the full cost — including both the University of Haifa master's studies and the College's national-security studies — be taxed for IDF officers and state employees. The State Comptroller characterized the studies as serving an important national interest and warned that taxation could have far-reaching implications for their continuation, recommending that the Finance and Defense ministers examine the issue; the report recorded no final resolution.[2]

The State Comptroller's review of Class 34 in 2006–2007 also noted that civilian ministry participation was very low: of 32 participants, only two represented government ministries outside the defense and security sectors, both from the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Comptroller concluded that this composition did not achieve the founding goal of creating a common national-security language among officials working across government.[2]

The College's research publications have addressed contested strategic questions. Papers in the Eshtonot series have examined whether Israel's recurring military operations against non-state adversaries produce lasting deterrence — a debate that touches on sensitive questions of strategic effectiveness. Likewise, research published under the College's framework has examined politically sensitive territorial and demographic topics; such work represents the views and analysis of individual authors rather than institutional conclusions.[8][20]