JINSA Board Visits Pentagon
Major General Gadi Shamni, Defense and Armed Forces Attache at the Israel Embassy, addressed JINSA’s Board of Directors at the Spring 2010 meeting, held, May 23-24, in Washington, DC. In an off-the-record conversation, Shamni discussed the current security situation confronting Israel including Iran’s nuclear program, Hezbollah’s military buildup and ongoing implications of Hamas control in Gaza.
Major General Gadi Shamni, Defense and Armed Forces Attache at the Israel Embassy, addressed JINSA’s Board of Directors at the Spring 2010 meeting, held, May 23-24, in Washington, DC. In an off-the-record conversation, Shamni discussed the current security situation confronting Israel including Iran’s nuclear program, Hezbollah’s military buildup and ongoing implications of Hamas control in Gaza.
The centerpiece of the two-day event was a full-day visit to the Pentagon. The first half of the day was spent with the United States Marine Corps followed by an afternoon with the United States Army. Lt. Gen. Willie J. Williams, the Director of the Marine Corps Staff, welcomed the JINSA Directors. Following the welcome, the JINSA group was briefed by Brig. Gen. David H. Berger, Director, Operations Division, on operations and intelligence related to the current war in Afghanistan. Berger had served in Iraq from August 2005 until June 2008.
The briefings continued with a presentation by Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hedelund, Commanding General of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. Hedelund discussed the development and integration of next-generation technologies into the Marine Corps. The JINSA group then heard about the future of Marine aviation from the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Maj. Gen. (sel.) Jon Davis.
Following the morning briefings, JINSA Board members ate lunch with Marines who had just returned from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq and were given an official tour of the Pentagon that included the America’s Heroes chapel, located where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.
In the afternoon, Lt. Gen. David Huntoon, the Director of Army Staff, welcomed JINSA Board Members to the U.S. Army portion of the day. Col. Ron Lewis and Lt. Col. Joe Gleichenhaus, both recently returned from deployments abroad, gave an in-depth briefing on the Army operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.