JINSA Celebrates KC-46A Refueling Tanker Delivery, Strengthening U.S.-Israel Mutual Defense

Washington, DC – Israel took delivery of its first of six KC-46A aerial refueling tankers yesterday in an official ceremony at Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel.

The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) celebrates this momentous occasion, which enables Israel to better project power and extend its aircrafts’ range. In 2018, JINSA, alone among organizations, began pressing for the United States to sell Israel these advanced aerial refueling tankers. And then, after the United States approved this sale in 2021, JINSA published detailed proposals to expedite the initial transfer of KC-46s to Israel, train Israeli Air Force pilots on the new aircraft, and deploy U.S. KC-46s to Israel before the Israeli aircraft arrived, which the United States did shortly before Operation Epic Fury.

By upgrading the Israel Air Force’s obsolescing tanker fleet and expanding the reach and capacity of its combat aircraft, the KC-46 will act as a force-multiplier for Israel’s ability to counter shared threats from Iran and its proxies. It also will reduce the burdens and risks facing American forces in the region, after the U.S. Air Force helped fill gaps in Israel’s aerial refueling capacity during the recent war with Iran.

Furthermore, Israel’s use of the most advanced U.S.-made aerial refueling tankers will deepen the interoperability of U.S. and Israeli forces that proved so effective in Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion.

JINSA wants to thank President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, Congress, and the Pentagon for helping ensure Israel can utilize the latest-generation U.S. capabilities for the mutual defense of our two countries.

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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JINSA: President Trump Should Reject the MOU with Iran

Washington, D.C. – “If the reported details of a proposed U.S.-Iran MOU are broadly accurate, it would represent a loss of American nerve and damaging strategic reversal in recent American policy, abandoning many of President Trump’s prior redlines, undercutting many of the tremendous achievements of the military campaign, and undermining U.S. credibility.

“I hope President Trump recognizes the enormous dangers posed by this reported MOU and rejects this disastrous arrangement. He should reverse course and restore American credibility by resuming military action that further weakens Iran’s conventional military and nuclear capabilities, ensuring the freedom of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz, maintains economic pressure on the Tehran regime, and supporting Iranians seeking to bring about the regime’s collapse, which is the ultimate strategic prize for the United States.

“The U.S.-Israeli military campaign made major advances in curbing Iran’s ability to project power and weakening the regime, for which both countries’ militaries and political leaders are to be commended. However, rather than degrading Iran further, this deal would strengthen and enrich it, thereby prolonging its survival.

“Comparisons to President Barack Obama’s 2015 JCPOA would be immediate and deserved. The United States would again be financially rewarding the Tehran regime to negotiate on its nuclear program while not addressing Iran’s missile capabilities or its aggressive regional activities.

“In some respects, this agreement is worse than the JCPOA, since the United States would be relinquishing leverage accumulated through 38 days of direct military confrontation, strategic isolation, maritime pressure, and visible deterioration of Iran’s internal and regional position.

“If Iran would not agree to acceptable American terms on its nuclear program during a ceasefire — while facing a blockade, economic strangulation, internal instability, and the credible prospect of renewed severe U.S.-Israeli military operations — there is no serious reason to believe lifting that pressure will produce a better outcome.

“Without the complete, permanent, and verifiable dismantlement of Iran’s entire nuclear program, the regime’s pathway back to nuclear weapons capability is preserved and will restart, no later than after President Trump leaves office.

“The Iranian regime and its supporters will rightly see this agreement as a victory over the United States, emerging not only intact but with new life thanks to the unfreezing of assets, the resumption of significant oil sales (mostly to China), and effective control over the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump would also be abandoning the Iranian population, with whom he has repeatedly expressed solidarity and support, by rescuing this brutal and corrupt regime from collapse.

“It betrays Israel, our full-fledged partner in the war, which reportedly opposes this deal and was given little say in it. Israel will undoubtedly need to conduct another military action against Iran at some point to undo the damage from this deal. Israel also cannot be expected to adhere to any Iranian veto over Lebanon, and will be compelled to maintain its military action against Iran’s terrorist proxy Hezbollah that continues to threaten Israel’s northern towns.

“The MOU also leaves exposed our Gulf Arab allies to an emboldened Iran as America retreats from the region.

“The lesson for the rest of the world will be that America can be coerced through brinkmanship, defiance, and threats to maritime commerce and energy markets. China will take note and is a clear winner, and Taiwan a loser.

“There should be no memorandum of understanding, interim deal, or partial arrangement with the Tehran regime, as it will not be worth the paper it is written on.

“A deal that leaves the regime stronger, wealthier, and intact guarantees neither peace nor stability. It guarantees only that the next war will come under worse conditions.”

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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JINSA: U.S. Blockade More Effective Than Widely Reported

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has been more effective than reported, according to a new report released today by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. 

Click Here to Read the Report

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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JINSA CEO Dr. Michael Makovsky: Trump’s Blockade Hits Iranian Regime’s Economic Lifeline

Washington, DC – The following is a statement from, Michael Makovsky, President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, on the implementation of President Donald Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports:

“We commend President Trump blockading Iranian oil exports, which JINSA proposed back in January, demanding U.S. action after the Tehran regime violated his redline against killing civilian demonstrators.

“This blockade will weaken the regime by undercutting its primary source of income, either forcing it to make concessions or ensuring that it will be denied the resources to rebuild its instruments of terror.

“President Trump might next consider taking over or destroying Kharg Island, through which Iran experts most of its oil, if Iran doesn’t agree to permitting the removal of its enriched uranium and destruction of its nuclear facilities.”

Insight: Quarantine Iran’s Oil to Collapse the Regime (Jan 2026)

Report: Credibility and Collapse: U.S. Policy Options Toward Iranian Protests (Jan 2026)

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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JINSA: Israel’s Offer Would Provide U.S. Safe Staging Ground for Operations Against Iran

Washington, DC – Reports indicate Israel is prepared to invite the United States to relocate some of its Middle East regional bases to Israel. The United States should pursue this move, building directly on its deployment of F-22 combat aircraft to Israel’s Ovda Air Base and the vulnerabilities of U.S. forces to Iranian attacks on bases in nearby Arab states. This is what JINSA recommended in its November report, Base for Success, which first made the case for Ovda’s unique ability to support U.S. offensive operations against Iran.

Jonathan Ruhe, JINSA Fellow for American Strategy, who led the task force of retired U.S. Air Force generals, all with CENTCOM experience, to explore U.S. basing options in Israel, issued the following statement:

“The United States should seize the opportunity to get better, safer, more hospitable facilities than it has anywhere else in the Middle East by growing its presence at Ovda Air Base in Israel. It already recognized the unique value of operating from Israel by sending F-22s there before the war started; now, it should expand these arrangements.

“Our report was the first to show how Israeli airbases provided greater freedom of action, higher readiness, stronger missile and drone defenses, robust logistics and maintenance, and interoperability against Iranian targets, compared to our bases near the Gulf. The current conflict highlights just how vital such support and security are for U.S. military success.”

Read the Report

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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JINSA Report Finds High Interception Rates but Mounting Pressure on U.S.-led Regional Air Defense

Washington, DC – Today the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) released a new report, “The Eroding Shield: Air Defenses Against Iran,” analyzing the performance of the United States, Israel, and Arab partners’ air defenses during the current conflict with Iran. It warns that, while defenses have been able to intercept the vast majority of Iranian drones and missiles so far, they are under significant stress that threatens to degrade the system over time unless urgent action is taken.

The report finds that U.S., Israeli, and Arab forces have intercepted over 90 percent of the roughly 4,200 missiles and drones fired by Iran, a success made possible by years of coordination, pre-war U.S. force buildup, and a layered regional defense architecture. However, Iran has adapted its strategy to exploit vulnerabilities in that system.

No air defense system can intercept every threat, and Iran’s targeting of radar and communications links have eroded detection and warning networks required for effective air defense.

By dispersing its fire across nearly the entire Middle East and employing a mix of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones—each requiring different defensive responses—Iran has reduced its ability to overwhelm any single target, while forcing the coalition to stretch its defenses thin protecting a wide swathe of territory. Iran has increasingly used cluster munitions to hit Israel and directed drone attacks toward Gulf energy infrastructure and shipping, effectively shutting commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz. High interception rates alone cannot prevent the economic disruption these attacks impose.

The war has become a stockpile race. U.S. and Israeli offensive fire must exhaust Iran’s missiles and drones before U.S. and regional partner interceptor stocks run too low. The weapons Iran relies on cost a fraction of the interceptors needed to stop them and defense industrial production cannot replace expended stocks fast enough.

To address these pressure points, the report recommends the United States reposition defensive assets within and from outside the Middle East—prioritize counter-drone defense—while intesifying offensive strikes on Iran by:

1. Fielding lower-cost point-defense systems,
2. Clearing procurement and fielding barriers,
3. Expanding airborne sensor coverage to offset damaged radar infrastructure,
4. Prioritizing hunting Iranian launchers and drones,
5. Increasing offensive strikes against launchers in eastern Iran,
6. Devoting naval and air assets to escort shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and
7. Formalizing regional air defense coordination

The U.S.-led coordination has created the most extensive air defense umbrella in the world over the Middle East, but this advantage is not guaranteed to last.

Read the Report

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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As retired senior American military leaders, we support the joint U.S.-Israeli military action to degrade and weaken the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and the Iranian people. And we commend the valor of the outstanding United States Military and our Intelligence Community engaged in this operation.

Since its inception 47 years ago, the radical regime, whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel,” has committed to endangering the lives of U.S. troops, diplomats, and civilians across the Middle East and here at home. Hundreds of Americans have lost their lives at the hands of the Islamic Republic and its terrorist proxies. Leaders in Tehran openly state their ambitions to spill American blood, evict the United States from the Middle East, eliminate Israel, and dominate a region that remains vital to global stability. Through its proxies, it is the largest state sponsor of terrorism. It has been developing the missile and nuclear capability to threaten the eastern seaboard of the United States. It has sought all this with the aid and support of U.S. adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea.

U.S.-Israel military action is a response to Iran’s unstinting efforts to make those ambitions a reality. Following last summer’s 12-Day War, Tehran has redoubled its missile building program to hold at risk our bases, our partners, and ultimately our homeland. Its proxy forces in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere continue to threaten U.S. targets, Israel, and freedom of navigation in some of the world’s most vital waterways.

And it has persisted in its nuclear weapons pursuit, despite being offered every offramp possible. Since Operation Midnight Hammer against its main enrichment sites last June, Iran has attempted to rebuild elements of its destroyed nuclear infrastructure. It has fortified new undeclared facilities, including the deeply buried site at Pickaxe Mountain, and blocked inspectors.  Throughout, it has refused to negotiate the full dismantlement of its atomic weapons program that is illegal under international law and has no verifiably peaceful intentions.

The regime’s brutal crackdown on protestors showed the entire world just what it is willing to do to keep its people—and the region—under its thumb.

For all these reasons, it is noteworthy that the United States is working so closely with Israel and other regional partners. Such cooperation is vital to degrade and eliminate the regime’s arsenals, undermine its organs of oppression, and signal unmistakably that it cannot continue threatening not only core U.S. interests, but the broader security and prosperity of the Middle East and its own population.

It will ultimately be up to the Iranian people to bring down the regime and enable a better future for Iran and the world.

Download the letter here.

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Washington, DC — In an open letter published today, 73 retired U.S. generals and admirals fully support the joint U.S.-Israeli military action to degrade and weaken the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and the Iranian people.

Organized by the Jewish Insitute for National Security of America, the letter says that Operation Epic Fury is a justified act of self-defense to protect America lives and global stability. Tehran has spent decades supporting terrorist proxies, targeting U.S. personnel, and pursuing capabilities that could threaten the American homeland.

“For more than two decades, Iran has been targeting and killing U.S. men and women in uniform,” said Blaise Misztal, JINSA vice president for policy. “The retired senior military leaders who signed this letter have seen that threat up close and firsthand. They understand the threat that Iran poses to America, the urgent need to address it, and the tremendous capabilities that the United States and Israel have to do so, together.”

Importantly, the signatories stressed that U.S.-Israel coordination—and broader regional cooperation—will be critical to ensuring the operation achieves its objectives.

While affirming the importance of continued military and strategic pressure, the letter concludes by emphasizing that Iran’s long-term future ultimately rests with its citizens.

Prominent signees include:

• ADM Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr., USN (ret.), Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• ADM Jerome Johnson, USN (ret.), Vice Chief of Naval Operations
• Gen W.L. Nyland USMC (ret.), Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC)
• Gen Philip M. Breedlove, USAF (ret.), Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander, U.S. European Command
• ADM Timothy J. Keating, USN (ret.), Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
• GEN James D. Thurman, USA (ret.), Commander, United Nations Command, ROK-United States Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea
• GEN David M. Rodriguez, USA (ret.), Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)
• Gen Mike Hostage, USAF (ret.), Commander, Air Combat Command
• Gen Charles Wald, USAF (ret.), Deputy Commander of U.S. European Command (EUCOM)

The letter states:

As retired senior American military leaders, we support the joint U.S.-Israeli military action to degrade and weaken the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and the Iranian people. And we commend the valor of the outstanding United States Military and our Intelligence Community engaged in this operation.

Since its inception 47 years ago, the radical regime, whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel,” has committed to endangering the lives of U.S. troops, diplomats, and civilians across the Middle East and here at home. Hundreds of Americans have lost their lives at the hands of the Islamic Republic and its terrorist proxies. Leaders in Tehran openly state their ambitions to spill American blood, evict the United States from the Middle East, eliminate Israel, and dominate a region that remains vital to global stability. Through its proxies, it is the largest state sponsor of terrorism. It has been developing the missile and nuclear capability to threaten the eastern seaboard of the United States. It has sought all this with the aid and support of U.S. adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea.

U.S.-Israel military action is a response to Iran’s unstinting efforts to make those ambitions a reality. Following last summer’s 12-Day War, Tehran has redoubled its missile building program to hold at risk our bases, our partners, and ultimately our homeland. Its proxy forces in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere continue to threaten U.S. targets, Israel, and freedom of navigation in some of the world’s most vital waterways.

And it has persisted in its nuclear weapons pursuit, despite being offered every offramp possible. Since Operation Midnight Hammer against its main enrichment sites last June, Iran has attempted to rebuild elements of its destroyed nuclear infrastructure. It has fortified new undeclared facilities, including the deeply buried site at Pickaxe Mountain, and blocked inspectors.  Throughout, it has refused to negotiate the full dismantlement of its atomic weapons program that is illegal under international law and has no verifiably peaceful intentions.

The regime’s brutal crackdown on protestors showed the entire world just what it is willing to do to keep its people—and the region—under its thumb.

For all these reasons, it is noteworthy that the United States is working so closely with Israel and other regional partners. Such cooperation is vital to degrade and eliminate the regime’s arsenals, undermine its organs of oppression, and signal unmistakably that it cannot continue threatening not only core U.S. interests, but the broader security and prosperity of the Middle East and its own population.

It will ultimately be up to the Iranian people to bring down the regime and enable a better future for Iran and the world.

Read the Letter

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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Washington, DC — The following is a statement from Michael Makovsky, President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, on the U.S.-led military operation against the Iranian regime:

“We commend President Donald Trump for taking the historic, courageous, and proper decision to launch a major military campaign, in collaboration with Israel, to severely weaken the vile Iranian regime to ensure it can no longer threaten the United States or our regional allies, or destabilize the region, and to encourage the Iranian people to rise up and ‘take over your government.’

“President Trump, despite obvious risks, has opted for a more significant campaign over limited strikes, which has characterized his previous military engagements. We commend Pres. Trump’s willingness to address the Iranian threat with Iran, despite Tehran instigating the murder of hundreds of American soldiers and civilians over decades, and development of nuclear weapons and missiles that would one day reach the American homeland.

“For years, JINSA has called on the U.S. to adopt a strategy toward Iran of ‘regime collapse,’ and since the uprising of the Iranian people and the murderous response by the regime, we have pressed for implementing it: by weakening the regime and its nuclear and conventional forces, thereby enabling the Iranian people to remove the regime.

“In true form, Iran has wrongly and counter-productively fired missiles today at uninvolved countries in the region, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Aptly, the Iranian regime is alone now, with none of its axis partners, such as China and Russia, willing to do anything to help them. 

“Americans should remember those countries which stood with us today, and those who have sat on the fence or even opposed us at this critical moment.

“We greatly appreciate the stellar American soldiers involved in this effort, led admirably by U.S. Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, and wish them great success and safety in their efforts to advance U.S. national security and peace in the world.”

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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Washington, DC — Confirmed reports of the United States positioning F-22 stealth fighters at Israel’s Ovda Air Base are a significant development in U.S.-Israel military cooperation, according to Jonathan Ruhe, fellow for American strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Ovda is already built to U.S. specifications, making it fit for the United States to utilize immediately, despite never operating from there before.

In September, Ruhe led a task force of retired U.S. Air Force generals, all with CENTCOM experience, to explore U.S. basing options in Israel and conduct a fact-finding mission at Ovda. Their report, Base for Success, underscored Ovda’s unique ability to support U.S. offensive operations against Iran, unlike other U.S. bases in the broader Middle East.

Ruhe provided the following statement:

“The first-ever U.S. deployment of combat aircraft to Israel sends a crucial signal to Iran: America just added a land-based aircraft carrier to the region that reinforces its two at sea.

“Positioning advanced stealth F-22s and aerial refuelers at Ovda gives the United States unique freedom of action to conduct offensive strike operations against Iran, and the airbase’s defenses offer much better protection from Iranian retaliation than U.S. bases in the Gulf.

“Recent deployments of U.S. fighter jets to bases in Arab countries can help shoot down Iranian missile and drone attacks, but their governments will not allow the U.S. to conduct offensive operations from there. The symbolism of U.S. attack aircraft on Israeli runways and tarmacs also confronts Iran’s regmie with the daunting scenario of its two most capable adversaries working closely to support one another.”

Jonathan Ruhe is available for interview.

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Jewish Institute for National Security of America
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
www.jinsa.org

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