Amos Yadlin: "After a decade of meaningful work as the head of INSS, I leave to pursue new challenges"
February 10, 2021
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, Executive Director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) for the past decade, informed the INSS Board of Directors that he has decided to step down from his post on May 1, 2021, upon the termination of his contract.
General Yadlin, who has served as the head of INSS since November 2011, positioned the Institute as a leading think tank in Israel and abroad, and advanced its renown as an independent, influential institute engaged in strategic, innovative, policy-oriented research designed to safeguard the security and future of the State of Israel.
Sir Frank Lowy, Chairman of the INSS Board of Directors, expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation for General Yadlin: "Amos Yadlin has positioned INSS as a leading center for national security research and strategic analysis in Israel and the world. Under his leadership, INSS has established itself as an advisory body for decision makers and policymakers engaged in the management of strategic challenges – from “traditional” national security issues such as the Iranian nuclear threat, to unique national security crises such as the multi-faceted COVID-19 crisis that has dominated our lives over the past year."
The Chairman of the Board has offered General Yadlin to remain at INSS in the role of Distinguished Fellow (similar to positions held by Gideon Sa'ar, Tzipi Livni, Moshe Ya'alon, Avihai Mandelblit, Daniel Shapiro, and Gadi Eisenkot, who have served as INSS Distinguished Fellows).
General Yadlin: "In the nine and a half years under my leadership, INSS and its superb research staff reached impressive new heights, and today are recognized for their unmatched professionalism and their contribution to national security strategy and policy. I believe the time has come for me to move on to new challenges." He said he looks back with satisfaction and pride on the collective output and achievements reached with his excellent management team, reflected most recently in the newest Global Go To Think Tank Index, prepared by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania: INSS continues to rank first among think tanks in Israel and the Middle East, and now is ranked twelfth among the world's think tanks that deal with defense and national security.
According to Yadlin, "In these years INSS has created unequaled, high-quality research programs and products, including on the Iranian nuclear project; plans for Syria and the ‘first northern war’; a strategic framework for the Palestinian arena; a program on democracy and national security in an era of post-truth and fake news; a unique Israel-China research program; a program on technology and national security; a program on law and national security; a program on the civilian front and internal resilience; a program on Israel-US relations; and many other singular programs and research projects."
Commenting on the past year, Yadlin said, "During the COVID-19 crisis – a crisis that has disrupted life in Israel and the world, impacting on public health, the economy, society, and politics – INSS swiftly regrouped as a center for multi-disciplinary thought. We offered a system-wide outlook and strategic, political, and organizational solutions for contending with the crisis. We contributed to the understanding of what is happening around us, and we proposed ways to manage the challenge on a national level; assess and prepare for subsequent waves of the pandemic; and reach the imperative balance between public health and economic needs through a smart differential policy."
General Yadlin thanked the members of the INSS Board of Directors, chaired by Sir Frank Lowy, for their support. He acknowledged the International Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr. Jonathon Jacobson, and the Israeli Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr. Pini Cohen, whose generous financial and organizational support enabled INSS to operate, evolve, and succeed. In conclusion, General Yadlin expressed his profound gratitude to the INSS research team and staff for their creativity, professionalism, and dedication, which have made INSS what it is.