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Jewish Institute for National Security of America

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{{Short description|U.S. nonprofit organization}}

{{More citations needed|date=October 2015}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{infobox organization

| name = Jewish Institute for National Security of America

| image = JINSA.svg

| image_size = 150px

| abbreviation = JINSA

| formation = {{start date and age|1976}}

| type = National security think tank

| tax_id = 52-1233683

| headquarters = 1101 14th Street, NW

| budget = Revenue: $3,491,593
Expenses: $3,496,342
(FYE December 2014){{cite web | url=http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/521/521233683/521233683_201412_990.pdf?_ga=1.157042619.1400465774.1487149181 | title=Jewish Institute for National Security of America | website=Foundation Center | access-date=February 16, 2017}}

| location = Washington, D.C.

| leader_title = Chairman

| leader_name = David P. Steinmann

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), formerly named the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs,{{cite web |title=Jewish Institute for National Security of America |publisher=LegiStorm |url=https://www.legistorm.com/organization/summary/35641/Jewish_Institute_for_National_Security_of_America.html |access-date=July 3, 2021}} is a Washington, D.C.–based, non-profit and think tank.John Mearsheimer, Stephen Walt, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, Penguin Books 2007 pp.117,130-1,176 Dan Fleshler, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0NgsxxKEqb0C&pg=PT91 Transforming America's Israel Lobby: The Limits of Its Power and the Potential for Change,] Potomac Books 2011 {{isbn|978-1-597-97624-4}} p.142

History

JINSA was founded in 1976, three years after the Yom Kippur War. JINSA's founding, according to Jason Vest, writing in The Nation, was prompted by "neoconservatives concerned that the United States might not be able to provide Israel with adequate military supplies in the event of another Arab-Israeli war."

JINSA since expanded its portfolio to cover not only Israel-U.S. relations, but general American national security policy as well.

In the late 1980s, JINSA underwent a profound repurposing of mission which, although retaining the interest in maintaining and strengthening the U.S.–Israeli defense relationship, widened its focus to general U.S. defense and foreign policy, with missions and meetings with national leaders and officials Ethiopia, Belgium, South Korea, India, Bulgaria, Italy, the Republic of China, Uzbekistan, Costa Rica, Spain, Eritrea, Jordan, the People's Republic of China, Hungary, United Kingdom and Germany.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Shoshana Bryen was JINSA's executive director from 1989 to 1991. She was credited with transforming JINSA from a small think tank into a major player in the conservative scene in Washington, D.C. Tom Neumann became executive director in 1991, serving until 2012. Larry Greenfield was named executive director in 2012.{{cite news |last1=Tugend |first1=Tom |title=Larry Greenfield to head JINSA |url=https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/100929/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=Jewish Journal |date=2012-02-08}} Scholar Michael Makovsky joined as CEO and executive director in 2023 from the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he was director of foreign policy from 2006 to 2013.{{cite news |title=Salary Survey 2017: Michael Makovsky Of The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs |url=https://forward.com/news/389338/salary-survey-2017-michael-makovsky-of-the-jewish-institute-for-national-se/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=The Forward |date=2017-12-11}}

In 2012, JINSA launched the Latino-Jewish Alliance to engage the U.S. Latino community on Israeli defense and security topics.

=Policy positions=

One of JINSA's main goals is to cement strong military cooperation between Israel and the United States by working with the American defense establishment. It emphasizes strong U.S. military capabilities and close military cooperation between Israel and the United States.

JINSA is considered one of the most prominent and leading conservative think tanks, known for its hawkish foreign policy views. The group is non-partisan and includes Republicans and Democrats on its advisory board.{{cite news |last1=Guttman |first1=Nathan |title=JINSA Leadership in Flux After Ouster |url=https://forward.com/news/149750/jinsa-leadership-in-flux-after-ouster/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |date=2012-01-18}}

Since 2018, JINSA has advocated for a U.S.-Israel mutual defense pact.{{cite news |title=JINSA calls for US-Israel bilateral defense treaty |url=https://www.jns.org/u-s-israel/defense/23/9/19/320003/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=Jewish News Syndicate |date=2023-09-19}} In July 2019, JINSA created a draft treaty,{{cite news |last1=Nahmias |first1=Omri |title=JINSA to 'Post': Defense pact wouldn't restrict Israel freedom of movement |url=https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/jinsa-to-post-defense-pact-wouldnt-restrict-israel-freedom-of-movement-609899 |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=Jerusalem Post |date=2019-12-06}} which was discussed during a December 2019 meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a draft of such an agreement that was originally proposed by JINSA.{{cite news |last1=Harkov |first1=Lahav |title=Netanyahu, Pompeo push forward with US-Israel defense pact |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Netanyahu-Pompeo-push-forward-with-defense-pact-610011 |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=Jerusalem Post |date=2019-12-06}} In September 2023, JINA renewed its campaign to a defense pact.

On March 20, 2023, JINSA issued an open letter, first appearing in The Hill, signed by 44 retired U.S. generals and admirals calling on the White House and Congress to "immediately provide Israel with the advanced weapons it needs to deter and prevent a nuclear Iran."{{cite news |title=To prevent nuclear Iran, US should arm Israel, write 44 retired generals and admirals |url=https://www.jns.org/to-prevent-nuclear-iran-us-should-arm-israel-write-44-retired-generals-and-admirals/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=Jewish News Syndicate |date=2023-03-21}}

JINSA supported President George W. Bush's policies in two regards, advocating the need for regime change in Iraq, cultivating close ties with Ahmed Chalabi.Mearsheimer and Walt 2007 p.252 and supporting American funding for opposition groups in Iran.Mearsheimer and Walt 2007 p.293

JINSA has supported Azerbaijan in its war against Armenia as a means to weaken Iran, regardless of accusations of ethnic cleansing of Armenians by Azerbaijan (see Flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians), nor their genocidal rhetoric towards Armenia. JINSA president Michael Makovsky has stated in a conversation with the Azerbaijani ambassador to the United States: "Whatever it's worth, at JINSA, we believe that America has stronger strategic ties with Azerbaijan."{{cite news|url=https://asiatimes.com/2020/10/azerbaijan-makes-its-case-to-pro-israel-americans/|title=Azerbaijan makes its case to pro-Israel Americans|last=Petti|first=Matthew|date=October 12, 2020|work=Asia Times}}

Programs

JINSA organizes trips of U.S. military officers, retired U.S. military flag and general officers, and students at U.S. military academies to Israel. In February 2023, a JINSA-organized delegation of 30 U.S. military officers visited Israel Aerospace Industries, one of Israel's largest technology employers.{{cite news |title=US military officials shown next-gen warfare tech in Israel |url=https://www.jns.org/us-military-officials-shown-next-gen-warfare-tech-in-israel/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=Jewish News Syndicate |date=2023-02-22}} According to The Nation,{{cite magazine|title=The Men From JINSA and CSP {{!}} They want not just a US invasion of Iraq but "total war" against Arab regimes|first=Jason |last=Vest |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/men-jinsa-and-csp/|magazine= The Nation|date= August 15, 2002}} "JINSA facilitates meetings between Israeli officials and the still-influential US flag officers, who, upon their return to the States, happily write op-eds and sign letters and advertisements championing the Likudnik line."

More than 200 retired admirals and generals, including shock and awe theorist Adm. Leon "Bud" Edney, USN, Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, USA, Maj. Gen. David L. Grange, USA, Maj. Gen. Jarvis Lynch, USMC, Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, USA, Adm. Leighton "Snuffy" Smith, USN, Adm. Carlisle Trost, USN and Brig. Gen. Thomas E. White, USA, have participated in the trips over the last 21 years. Participation in the program makes no requirements of the invitees to make statements, form opinions or maintain any further relationship with JINSA, yet many trip alums have participated more than once, and 50 past participants co-authored a statement on violence in the Palestinian-controlled territories that appeared in The New York Times in October 2000.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

The program also includes activities designed to introduce the cadets and midshipmen to the many cultures that make up Israeli society, and organize visits to historic and religious sites.{{cite web |url=http://www.jinsa.org/programs/military-academies-program/military-academies-program-israel/about-military-academies-progr |title=About the Military Academies Program | JINSA Online |access-date=February 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301161715/http://www.jinsa.org/programs/military-academies-program/military-academies-program-israel/about-military-academies-progr |archive-date=March 1, 2016 }}

=Homeland Security Program=

In 2002 JINSA initiated a program called LEEP (Law Enforcement Exchange Program) aimed at exchanging counter-terrorism experience and tactics between U.S. law enforcement agencies and their counterparts in the Israeli National Police. The primary focus of the program is to bring U.S. law enforcement executives (police chiefs, sheriffs, etc.) to Israel for an intensive program aimed at educating U.S. officials on techniques for countering domestic terrorism in the United States.[https://jinsa.org/archive_post/jinsa-launches-law-enforcement-exchange/ 'JINSA Launches Law Enforcement Exchange,'] JINSA September 6, 2002 From 2002 to 2020 over 200 U.S. federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement executives have been enrolled in the program, involving visits to Israel, together with thousands of US security personnel attending conferences where visiting Israeli experts have spoken.Steven L. Pomerantz, [https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/i-am-the-architect-of-the-u-s-israel-police-exchange/ 'I am the architect of the U.S.-Israel police exchange,'] The Jewish Chronicle July 1, 2020. According to Max Blumenthal in his book The Management of Savagery, JINSA has claimed that it has overseen the training of over 9,000 US police officials by Israeli-led experts.Max Blumenthal [https://books.google.com/books?id=K-xGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA118 The Management of Savagery: How America's National Security State Fueled the Rise of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Donald Trump], Verso Books, 2019 {{isbn|978-1-788-73228-4}} p.118. Blumenthal cited one US enforcement superintendent in 2004 these exchanges changed the way Homeland Security was being organized in New Jersey. The US-Israeli anthropologist, Jeff Halper co-founder of ICAHD and supporter of the BDS movement, in an article for Mondoweiss criticized these programmes, as based on military techniques developed to control the Palestinians in the Israeli occupied territories, as threatening to lead to an 'Israelization' of American police forces and a concomitant 'Palestinization' of the American people.{{Cite news| title =Israelizing the American police, Palestinianizing the American people| last = Halper | first = Jeff | date = June 19, 2020 | author-link = Jeff Halper | publisher = Mondoweiss | url =https://mondoweiss.net/2020/06/israelizing-the-american-police-palestinianizing-the-american-people/}}

=Publications=

Image:HenryJackson.jpg.]]

JINSA publishes semi-annual Journal of International Security Affairs. From 2016 the magazine became a free publication.{{cite web|title=Subscription No Longer Required|url=http://www.securityaffairs.org/issues/subscription-no-longer-required|publisher=Security Affairs|access-date=February 6, 2016}} For 22 years, JINSA published Security Affairs – a monthly newsletter. Apart from magazines and newsletters, the institute also publishes conference proceedings and monographs. In 2004, JINSA published a reference book: Profiles in Terror: A Guide to Middle East Terrorist Organizations by Aaron Mannes.

=Awards=

Each fall, JINSA presents an annual Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Distinguished Service Award,[http://www.jinsa.org/events-programs/jackson-award-dinners/history-henry-m-scoop-jackson-distinguished-service-award History of the Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Distinguished Service Award]; Jinsa website named in honor of the late-Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson to U.S. government leaders (generally a senior U.S. Government or Armed Forces official, a Senator or two Members of the United States House of Representatives) for their career dedication to U.S. national security. Past honorees have included:

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In addition, beginning in 2003, JINSA has honored six enlisted representatives of the U.S. Armed Services and U.S. Special Operations Command, each selected by their respective services, with the "Grateful Nation Award" for duty that, while exemplary, might otherwise go unrecognized.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

See also

References

External links

  • {{Official website}}
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{{Neoconservatism}}

{{Organized Jewish Life in the United States}}

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Category:Jews and Judaism in Washington, D.C.

Category:Think tanks based in Washington, D.C.

Category:Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States

Category:Political and economic think tanks in the United States

Category:New Right organizations (United States)

Category:Think tanks established in 1976

Category:Israel–United States relations

Category:United States–Middle Eastern relations

Category:Middle Eastern studies in the United States

Category:Jewish-American political organizations

Category:501(c)(3) organizations

Category:1976 establishments in Washington, D.C.

Category:Jewish organizations based in the United States

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.

Category:Zionist organizations in the United States