Former Head of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman has been Appointed Managing Director of INSS

 

May 16, 2022

Sir Frank Lowy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), announced today the appointment of Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, former head of Military Intelligence, as the new Managing Director of INSS. Maj. Gen. (res.) Hayman assumes his position on May 15, 2022, succeeding Brig. Gen. (res.) Udi Dekel.

 

The INSS Board of Directors and the Executive Director of INSS, Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, have tasked Maj. Gen. (res.) Hayman with developing and expanding the Institute’s research strategy by combining his extensive experience in the military, in research, and in intelligence with the broad concept of national security advanced by Prof. Trajtenberg. This integration will make it possible to promote system-wide and multidisciplinary research activity that will increase the ability of INSS to influence the shaping of Israeli policy toward the major security challenges facing the country.

 

Brig. Gen. (res.) Udi Dekel has served as INSS Managing Director since 2012. The INSS Board of Directors heralded Dekel’s praiseworthy dedication and professionalism, which have gained him widespread esteem in Israel’s security establishment. Brig. Gen. (res.) Dekel will continue to play a key role at INSS, particularly in leading the research activity on the Palestinian issue and promoting strategic dialogues with other research institutes.

 

During his 34 years of service in the IDF, Maj. Gen. (res.) Hayman served in a series of command positions in the ground forces (armored corps and infantry). He has operational experience in warfare in the security zone in Lebanon and the Palestinian arena. As a Northern Command Operations officer, he led the process of drawing conclusions following the Second Lebanon War in the IDF Northern Command. In 2008, he was appointed commander of a reserve division, while simultaneously commanding senior command courses for the ground forces. In 2011, during the civil war in Syria, he was appointed commander of the Golan Heights division, and developed the defense concept in the Golan Heights to take the new situation into account.

 

Tamir joined the IDF General Staff in 2015 and served as commander of the Israel National Defense College, while at the same time serving as commander of the Northern Corps, where he led the largest corps exercise ever conducted in the IDF. In 2018, he was appointed the 22nd head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate. The period of his service in the Intelligence Directorate featured ongoing tension in the Palestinian arena, progressing from demonstrations along the border fence to the killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, the head of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, and reaching a peak in Operation Guardian of the Walls. This period also featured the intensification of the campaign against Iran, including direct exchanges of fire with the al-Quds Force in May 2018, the killing of the al-Quds Force commander, and many operations in Syrian and Iranian territory aimed at both hampering the Iranian buildup in Syria and coping with the developing Iranian challenge throughout the Middle East. In the Intelligence Directorate, Tamir led the multidisciplinary intelligence revolution and the integrated information enterprise revolution for utilizing artificial intelligence to make military intelligence more effective. Tamir has a BA in political science and economics and an MA from the Israel National Defense College.

 

On the occasion of the appointment, INSS Chairman of the Board of Directors Sir Frank Lowy stated, "I am delighted to welcome another senior figure to INSS. I am confident that with General Hayman's extensive military and intelligence experience, he will prove to be a significant addition to INSS, and will lead its research activity with professionalism and excellence. In the name of the Board of Directors, I wish to take this opportunity to express our thanks to Brig Gen. (res.) Udi Dekel for his many achievements and successes."

 
INSS Executive Director Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg: "Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman has accumulated vast and varied experience during his decades of service in the IDF as a combat soldier and officer in the armored corps, as commander of the military colleges, and in senior command posts, culminating in his service as head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, before retiring from the IDF six months ago. There is no doubt that his joining INSS in a central position will greatly improve the Institute’s capabilities and make it possible to expand and intensify our efforts on behalf of Israel's security. We are delighted to welcome him. I am also very glad that Brig Gen. (res.) Udi Dekel will continue to contribute to INSS, because he is a pillar of the Institute’s research activity and a central element in its prominent status in Israel and worldwide."
 

Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman expressed his thanks to Sir Frank Lowy and the INSS Board of Directors and to INSS Executive Director Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg for their confidence in him, and for the opportunity to lead INSS's innovative research concept. Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman: "I see great value in research aimed at influencing policy, and welcome that the multidisciplinary task-oriented research concept that we utilized in the Military Intelligence Directorate is also used at INSS. This research integrates different content spheres, and strives to influence policy for the purpose of improving Israel's national security. The second topic that will be emphasized is the cutting-edge nature of the research and its adaptation to the information and knowledge era. We will think jointly about how we can be part of this revolution, and how it can be used to better achieve the INSS mission."

 

Hayman added, "I have known Udi Dekel for many years, and I esteem him greatly. He is known as one of the most brilliant people who has served in the IDF Planning Directorate, and I had the privilege of working with him. Udi will continue to be an important part of INSS, and will contribute to its excellence and illustrious heritage in its core fields of endeavor."