Mission Statement:
JINSA’s Major Agenda Items

• An American Defense Strategy for the Future

  • JINSA works to strengthen support for the U.S. military and its ability to meet future challenges and crises.

    Changes in American military deployments since the end of the Cold War, new deployments in the war against terrorists and the states that harbor and support them, and changes in funding and technology for our forces, require an informed and supportive public. JINSA works to educate its 20,000 members, leading policy makers and the public at large about key policy initiatives and requirements.

  Terrorism at Home & Abroad

  • From the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 through the devastating attacks of September 11th, 2001 the boundaries of terrorism expanded. The United States, which had considered itself impenetrable, now has to face the potential of additional terrorist acts being committed within our borders. With the barrier broken, JINSA supports changes in the collection of intelligence information and collaboration of American intelligence agencies to maximize their effectiveness in dealing with threats to U.S. citizens that will not only continue to exist abroad, but at home as well.

    Because of the heightened political, religious, and ethnic conflicts in the post-Cold War era, and the potential availability of super weapons, terrorism in the 21st Century is potentially more than a disruption to the order of society; it can in fact be a serious challenge to our national security.

  New Alliances

  • The end of the Cold War has allowed for new groupings of states cooperating in ways inimical to Western interests in freedom, democracy and human rights. At the same time, like-minded democratic states are exploring cooperation to promote regional security and increased trade. JINSA plays a leading role in fostering expanding relations between the United States and Israel with Turkey, India, Taiwan and others including the central and eastern European states of the “New Europe”.

  Regional Instability

  • In many parts of the world, this goes hand-in-hand with the crisis of Islamic radicalism. But there is impending difficulty elsewhere as well. The United States is playing an increasing role in mediating regional conflicts. China’s militarism is worrisome to many in the Far East including American friends and allies Japan and Taiwan. Rising instability on the Korean Peninsula has a profound effect far from Seoul and Pyongyang. In areas of the former Soviet Union, including Chechnya and Central Asia, the dangers of ethnic conflict remain.

  Strategic Cooperation with Israel

  • U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation is a vital component in the global security equation for the United States, and has been at the heart of JINSA’s mission since its inception in 1976.

    The Middle East remains the focal point of American security policy because of the confluence of energy, money, weapons and ideology. The inherent instability in the region caused primarily by inter-Arab rivalries and the secular/religious split in many Muslim societies leaves the future of the region in doubt. Israel, with its technological capabilities and shared system of values, has a key role to play as a U.S. ally in the region.

    Israel’s role has changed and increased with the advent of increased American requirements for homeland security. JINSA has met the new American interest in Israeli tactics and technology in the field of homeland security with new, cooperative programs including our Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP) and discussions with the Transportation Security Agency.

  Proliferation of Ballistic Missile Technology & WMDs

  • In the wake of the 2003 Iraq war, a network of clandestine arms and technology sales among such countries as North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, China and others has been exposed. IAEA inspections in Libya and Iran showed that both had advanced nuclear programs of which the international community was unaware, making reliance on the signature of dictators on multilateral treaties no guarantee of security.

    Treaties, export controls and alliances are essential tools in fighting the threat and should be encouraged and sought out. We realize, however, that given the extent of proliferation and technical diffusion, these measures can only slow down the pace of proliferation but cannot stop it. The potential of terrorist groups or individual actors to acquire elements of chemical or biological weapons also serves to show the limitations of multilateral treaties in controlling proliferation.

    JINSA supports development of a vibrant and multilayered ballistic missile defense system to protect the United States and our allies, and supports the budget to deploy the elements of such a system, as they are ready.

  Radical Islamic Fundamentalism

  • Islamic fundamentalism as a political movement, as well as a religious movement, threatens many of our allies and partners in the Middle East including Turkey and Jordan. It also imperils American and coalition efforts in Iraq and is a direct threat to Israel. While there is debate as to whether radical Islamic fundamentalism is a generic threat to the West, it is clear from the rhetoric of fundamentalist leaders that the movement is anti-Western and anti-democratic in orientation, echoing the Ayatollah Khomeini’s reference to the U.S. as the “Great Satan.” The movement threatens not only the stability of moderate Middle Eastern regimes, but also has wide adherence throughout Africa and South Asia and gives rise to terrorism worldwide.

  Russia & the Former Soviet Republics

  • A little over a decade after the implosion of the Soviet Union, Russia is increasingly willing to stake out positions at odds with those of the United States. Russian assistance to the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr and opposition to the liberation of Iraq have made American policymaking more difficult. At the same time, the Russian arsenal of chemical and nuclear components is ill stored and ill-guarded, making it possible for important capabilities to be stolen or sold.

    Furthermore, much of the former Soviet Union, particularly in Georgia/Chechnya region and Central Asia, is a powder keg, periodically burgeoning into small, hot wars. Historic, religious, ethnic and territorial disputes remain unresolved. Throughout history, such rivalries have been the catalyst for broader European wars including both World Wars.

    While it is unlikely that U.S.-Russian relations will return to the difficult days of the Cold War, Russia requires continuing American concern.

  Israel’s Security Requirements

  • Israel is threatened by both the military capabilities of the Arab world and Iran, and the increasingly internationalized funding and arming of terrorists in the West Bank, Gaza and in Lebanon. Israel’s need for secure, recognized and defensible borders is unquestioned.

    The heart of the Arab-Israel conflict is the continuing rejection of Israel’s legitimacy by the Arab countries. There is no possibility of real peace until the Arab states accept their obligation under UN Resolution 242 for, “Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”

    America’s quest for the modernization and democratization of the Middle East as outlined in President Bush’s 24 June 2002 speech has the potential to bring a fundamental change to the Arab position. But until such changes are realized, the U.S. must remain committed to helping maintain Israel’s technological capabilities and must be cognizant of its and Israel’s security needs when selling advanced weapons to the Arab world, making technology transfers and monitoring and reacting to transfers from third party sources.

THESE POINTS of focus are not the only challenges facing our national security. New ones emerge everyday.

WE LIVE in an unstable and chaotic world. What we are witnessing is not an end to history but a continuum. Policies and directions decided upon today cannot be quickly reversed. The national security debate today will determine our future. JINSA will continue to play an important role in that debate - assuring that the U.S. and Israel will be prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.