JINSA's policy recommendations for the U.S. government includes: enhanced WMD counterproliferation programs, national ballistic missile defense systems, curbing of regional ballistic missile development and production worldwide, increased counter-terrorism training and funding, prior to September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, increased aid to Israel, substantially improved quality-of-life for U.S. service personnel and their families, support for joint U.S.-Israeli training and weapons development programs and a rejection of any peace process with the Palestinians that is not prefaced by a full renunciation of terrorism and a full and effective Palestinian effort to combat terrorism in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas. Further, JINSA supports regime change in nation-states known to provide support or knowingly harbor terrorist groups, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Libya, and supports a re-evaluation of the U.S. defense relationships with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
One of JINSA's most important programs is to invite, with the assistance of the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of State, retired U.S. senior military officers to Israel and Jordan. The General and Flag Officer's program, as it is known, allows participants to see with their own eyes, the problems facing the Middle East, in meetings with Israeli and Jordanian political and military leaders. More than 200 retired Admirals and Generals, including Shock and awe author Adm. Leon "Bud" Edney, USN, Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, USA, Maj. Gen. David 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 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.
JINSA also acts as a liaison between the U.S. military, concerned U.S. citizens and America's leaders in Washington, facilitating base visits, symposia and publications that highlight future trends, growing threats and areas of concern, within the realm of U.S. national security.
JINSA has also recently begun a program aimed at exchanging counter-terrorism experience and tactics between U.S. law enforcement agencies and the Israeli national police. The inaugural program, which included 12 police chiefs and sheriffs from departments in major American metropolitan areas, including the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) of New York and New Jersey, has already led to massive changes in U.S. counter-terrorism tactics.
In addition, JINSA officials have served as official and unofficial representatives of the United States on visits to more than 30 nations, including roles as election observers in many former Soviet-bloc republics.
Each fall, JINSA presents an annual Distinguished Service Award, named in honor of the late-Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson to U.S. government leaders (generally a Senator or two members of the U.S. House of Representatives) for their career dedication to U.S. national security. Past honorees have included: Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz (2002), Senator Joe Lieberman (1997), Senator Max Cleland (2000), then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney (1991) and all three Secretaries of the U.S. Armed Services (2001).
Founded in 1976, JINSA began as the only U.S. think tank that put "the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship first," citing a concern that U.S. leaders were mistakenly neglecting the relationship between the United States and the only democracy in the Middle East. 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 U.S. defense and foreign policy, in general, with missions and meetings with national leaders and military officials from countries as diverse as Ethiopia, Belgium, South Korea, India, Bulgaria, Italy, the Republic of China, Uzbekistan, Costa Rica, Spain, Eritrea, Jordan, the People's Republic of China and Germany, to name a few.
JINSA, a nationally-recognized USC 501(c)(3) organization, maintains a staunchly non-partisan stance in its official policies and statements, but according to critics, it is closely associated with the neoconservative movement.
Extreme critics, the most "mainstream" being extreme-left perennial presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche and an article in The Nation have alleged that JINSA, in part with Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy is part of a vast Jewish conspiracy that controls governmental affairs in Washington. In reality, according to its website, JINSA has an extremely small professional staff and an active membership of roughly 20,000 throughout the United States.
See also: JCPA, AIPAC, Presidents' conference.Policies and Programs
Flag and General Officer's Trip
Other Programs
Organizational History
Criticism