IDF Lt. Col. Alon Paz Joins Institute as Visiting Military Fellow

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Institute is pleased to announce that Lt. Col. Alon Paz of the Israel Defense Forces has joined the organization for a one-year visiting military fellowship. Along with visiting officers from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, Lt. Col. Paz will work within the Institute’s Military and Security Studies Program where his research will focus on U.S. and Israeli strategic planning in the Middle East.

Lt. Col. Paz’s appointment was made possible by the generosity of the Baye Foundation, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the Gold Family Foundation, and the Maimonides Fund.

“The Institute is proud to host rising military leaders from our closest strategic allies,” said Executive Director Robert Satloff. “By enabling them to conduct research in Washington, we are not only helping them to understand political-military affairs in a broader context, we are fostering closer communication between the United States and its partners. This program will contribute to better policymaking today and for years to come.”

Lt. Col. Alon Paz began his military service with the Israel Defense Forces in 1995 after graduating from Tel Aviv University with a bachelor's degree in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic literature. He joined the IDF General Staff Planning Directorate in 1999 as a lieutenant and has since served as a strategist in the Strategic Planning Division. Lt. Col. Paz was recognized as a distinguished graduate of the IDF Staff and Command Course, and holds master’s degrees in security studies and political science (magna cum laude) from Tel Aviv University.

The Institute's visiting military fellow program began in 1996, when the organization hosted its first U.S. Air Force Fellow. Since then, more than twenty officers from the United States, Israel, Turkey and Jordan have participated.

About the Washington Institute: The Washington Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution that advances a balanced and realistic understanding of U.S. interest in the broader Middle East. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.

CONTACT: Brittany Parker, 202-452-0650, press@washingtoninstitute.org.