Hello Matan,

 

That’s fine.  Please call me when you are free.  I called your office and cell numbers at about 4:00 p.m. your time, but you were probably already away in a meeting.

 

We will talk soon.  It would be best to use my office number, listed below.

 

Best,

Andrew

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I am glad to hear from you, and we will move forward systematically.

It is now 04:00 PM Israel time, and I will be a meeting until 18:00 PM

If that is okay for you, I will contact you between 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM.

BG Yossi is a 2019 NDU graduate; he is now the Head of the operating division at J2. Our College is not in the Hakirya, we are located just outside of Tel Aviv in Ramat Hasharon. 

We will talk about everything later, 

Regards

Matan

 

 

 

 

Hello Matan,

 

Thank you for the prompt response and the information about a potential sponsor.  All of that is tremendously helpful.  I am now in the office and ready for a call if you are free.  I think I will plan to call you by 1600 your time today, unless you call me first.

 

I did hear back from Col DeStazio.  He mentioned knowing you well, and said he thought you would make an ideal contact for the trip (he sees it as a university to university-type engagement—however that is not exactly how I look at it, since we engage primarily with industry, but also with government and academia).

 

Anyway, Col DeStazio had no objections to the trip.  He said that for capacity reasons, he could not offer additional support to the trip, so it is on me to organize it (with help from many Israelis, to be sure).

 

When we talk (hopefully today), would you be able to provide me with a little more information about BG Yossi Sariel so that I can (1) address an appropriate and focused email to him via our ISMO, and (2) perhaps mention him in my message to the theater as a possible sponsor?  It would be helpful to have his office/duty title and organization, if possible, and general location.  Since I am not yet aware of where your joint military headquarters is located, I suppose I would assume it is in Hakirya, Tel Aviv, but I know that might not be the case.

 

The message I have to send to U.S. European Command is a bit of a formality, since Col DeStazio will likely be the one who actually has the most immediate influence over whether we are allowed to come, simply because he is tracking all sorts of issues in his current role.  I think he has already determined the visits will be a benefit to the overall relationship.

 

Thank you,

Andrew

 

 

 

Col Nichols,

 

Very good to hear from you.  It looks like you made a lot of progress. I know Col Marty DeStazio, and I am sure he will be very helpful. The relevant NDU graduate who can assist in this visit is BG Yossi Sariel, He is holding a position at the J2, but I am sure we can harness it for the success of our visit. I suggest we talk on the phone, after your call with Col. Marty and see how things are going. I can be available tonight or tomorrow. 

Regards, 

Matan

 

 

LTC Or,

 

As promised, I have added some information to the list of visit candidates I sent to you earlier today.  I have added address info, and contact numbers for some of the possible visit destinations.  The info came mostly from Bloomberg databases, so the contact numbers are probably for media relations or investor relations.  I have also highlighted in yellow the current visit candidates that appear to be most interesting at this stage – and I limited how many are highlighted after considering the number of visits I think we could accomplish in about five days (maybe just four).  I added the Unit 8200 to the Be’er Sheva area, since I am assuming they are in that area somewhere.

 

My counterparts here are urging me to seek out a sponsor who is currently the Director of CERT, DECA, MAFAT, MALMAB, or a similar organization.  I have a business card for Dr. Dror Harel of IMOD’s Foreign Relations Division (972-3-697-6252, dror_harel@mod.gov.il), who I think might be able to put me in touch with Mr. Yigal Unna, the CERT Director.  I presume Mr. Unna resides near Be’er Shiva, since I think that is where the Israeli National CERT (INCD) is now located.  We know Dr. Harel because our C4ISR Industry Study visited Be’er Sheva last spring, and that’s how we got the business card.

 

I spoke with our people at ISMO, and they advised me I can send out an email to a selected group of Israeli graduates of the Eisenhower School (or NDU in general) to seek an appropriate Israeli sponsor, if needed.  The email can be directed to Eisenhower graduates only, or to all graduates of NDU in the last 5 years, or only to Israeli Army graduates…and so on and so forth (with options to target a particular audience).  If I knew which particular group of Israelis is most likely to be in the IMOD proper at this moment, I could more effectively reach out to them to seek a sponsor.

 

I’ll be happy to talk with you when you have a little time to do so.  I am hoping to speak with the U.S. Air Attaché tomorrow morning.

 

Thank you for your assistance!

 

Best,

Col Nichols

 

 

 

Hello LTC Or,

 

Thank you very much for your message.  I apologize for the delay in responding.  I was on the road in California at the time you wrote, and then tied-up with teaching our very busy August courses here at Eisenhower.  Fortunately, those courses are over, and I am turning my attention to the January term.

 

I first reached-out to our Air Attaché in Israel on the 9^th of July, and unfortunately, he did not write back, so that did not help matters.  As it turns out, he was changing-out with another person at that time, and that accounts for the break in communications.

 

The new point-of-contact I am working with is Col DeStazio.  I am planning to speak with him again tomorrow morning (afternoon your time).

 

Col Marty DeStazio, USAF

U.S. Air Attaché to the State of Israel

Office: +972-(0)3-519-7354

Cell: +972-(0)50-780-3927

destaziojm@state.gov

 

In any case, I am still very interested in visiting Israel, both for a preparatory visit, and with my class in the spring of 2020 (~20 Apr-1 May).  I have rescheduled the ‘pre-travel’ visit for 26 Oct-1 Nov, so I will be available for meetings as early as Sunday, 27 October.  (I understand that in Israel, you typically work Sunday through Thursday; the US Embassy people still have a Monday-Friday schedule.)

 

I appreciate your feedback on my proposed visit list, and the offer to help with a visit to the 8200 unit.  I will refine my list a little more today, and hopefully we can talk about it soon.  I am available for a call at any time.  If it would be feasible for you, I could call you tomorrow afternoon (0900 EDT, 1600 Tel Aviv time).  If that time would not be optimal, please propose an alternative time.

 

Perhaps my highest priority in planning the trip is to identify an appropriate sponsor—possibly someone within the Israeli MOD, or perhaps you yourself.  As I reach-out to Israeli companies to ask for their time and assistance, I think they will look for evidence that the government supports the engagements.

 

I recently learned LTG Benny Gantz graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF, now the Eisenhower School) in 1998.  I imagine he is very busy right now discussing with the PM who will lead the next government, but perhaps his support would be beneficial.  I have reached-out to our International Student Management Office (ISMO) to see if there are other (lower-level) officials I might contact in the MOD, if needed.

 

The attached list of interests is unchanged from the last version, except for the possible travel dates.  I may shorten the list a little later today.

 

Thank you again for your assistance.

 

Best regards,

Col Nichols

 

 

 

Dear Col Nichols,

 

I am so sorry for the late respond; we really had some ruff serval weeks.

First – we would be very happy to assist you with the visit in September, and later on with the students.

The list you attached looks very interesting and seams you have more knowledge about that tan any one in our college. The only thing I can add to that is meeting with the 8200 unit, and that is something we can assist with.

Is your embassy in Tel Aviv involved in this visit? I am Shure they have some contacts as well.

 

Can we have a call meeting any time this week? I can make myself available every day.

 

Regards,

 

LTC Matan Or

Israel National Defence Callege

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Ltc. Or,

 

It was a pleasure to meet you, MG Veruv, and the rest of your delegation at the Eisenhower School on Monday, 17 June.  I enjoyed learning about the Israel National Defense College, and discussing the possibility of an April 2020 Eisenhower student visit to Israel.  As a reminder, I lead the Cyber Domain/Advanced Computing Industry Study (the 'Cyber IS')—not one of the three other Eisenhower School industry study groups  that visited Israel in April (C4ISR, EW, and Missile Defense).

 

Fortunately, I have received tentative approval to arrange a 15-20 September visit to Israel (arriving on Saturday the 14th, and departing on Friday or Saturday the 20th or 21st), to make contacts and develop options for a possible student visit next April (for 19 or 20 people, in all).  I have developed a preliminary list of possible visit locations for September (attached), and would like to seek your opinion of it, and ask you about the best way to proceed.  Although several 'high-interest' visit locations have been highlighted in bold green text, some substitutions are certainly possible, particularly for the proposed industry visits.  I would be the only Cyber IS person visiting in September, if the trip happens.

 

Several faculty members here who have visited Israel previously have emphasized to me the desirability of having a local sponsor for a trip -- normally, someone in the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) who has appropriate contacts in industry.  Would you or your associates be able to refer me to the appropriate sponsor (if it is not you)?

 

Perhaps a little background about our students would be helpful (sorry if I repeat anything you have heard already).  In the Cyber IS, we typically have 17 students who are mid-career U.S. and international military officers (O5-O7), and U.S. government civilians.  All of them have an advanced degree of one sort or another, and sometimes 2-3 have an MBA or a degree related to finance.  The students receive some education in economics, strategy, and leadership during their first semester at Eisenhower, and then (in a course that parallels mine), they learn how to read financial statements and assess firms and industries.  This year, my students did a 'deep dive' analysis on four firms:  Apple, Oracle, Raytheon, and Verizon.  In the Cyber IS, my students studied 21 cyber case studies, visited or hosted representatives of many firms and agencies in the United States and abroad, and wrote about how to address various industry and policy challenges.

 

One of our main aims in the Master of Science in National Resource Strategy program is to help the students understand strategic business issues, and enhance their knowledge of how to foster the growth and development of key sectors--so that in a time of crisis, we aren't caught flat-footed, and can respond by leveraging industry effectively.  Among our priorities is to understand how to promote innovation in key sectors (and how to remove obstacles that might be impeding progress).  We look closely at the relationships among government, industry, and academic actors in a particular area.  In their future roles, some of our graduates will be in a position to influence policy changes affecting business development, trade, intellectual property protection, supply chain reliability/integrity, and human capital development, etc.  We had them practice providing their recommendations in late May by delivering a formal 3-hour out-brief to eight senior industry and government leaders.  As you know, Col Shlomo Binder (IDF) participated in our program.

 

For next year's course (January-May 2020), I am currently planning a curriculum around four areas:  (1) cybersecurity and cyberspace operations, (2) artificial intelligence (AI), (3) telecom (esp. 5G technologies), and (4) advanced computing (quantum and neuromorphic).  Last year, we were fortunate to visit or host more than 40 firms, agencies, and institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, and Belgium.  In 2020, we will likely visit the Silicon Valley, Texas, and Israel.  All trips are currently in the planning stages.  Israel’s strengths in the areas discussed above highlight the potential benefits of having our students visit firms and agencies in your country.

 

If I have the chance to visit Israel in September, I would of course seek to build a little rapport with future hosts, gather insights that would help me plan the best curriculum for 2020, and plan a possible student visit in April 2020.  My plan is to rent a vehicle to visit various sites in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Be'er Sheva.

 

Would you or your associates be willing to consider the attached list (and the plan I discussed above), and let me know the best way to proceed?  If needed, I will contact the potential hosts myself, however it seems essential to have an Israeli government sponsor identified (probably someone in the IMOD) to make a visit possible.  I have not yet contacted anyone in the U.S. Embassy there to discuss these plans, but will certainly do so in due course.

 

Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide!

 

Best regards,

Col Nichols

 

ANDREW H. NICHOLS, Colonel, USAF

Assistant Professor, National Security and Industrial Base

Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy 

National Defense University

 

Eisenhower Hall (Bldg. 59), Room 415

andrew.h.nichols.mil@ndu.edu

Office:  (202) 685-4319