Israeli Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dror Shalom Joins The Washington Institute as a Visiting Military Fellow
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Brig. Gen. Dror Shalom (IDF Res.), who just retired after five years heading the Research and Analysis Division (RAD) of Israeli Defense Intelligence (IDI), has joined the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as a visiting military fellow, the research institution announced today.
"We are very pleased to welcome Dror to our research team,” said Executive Director Robert Satloff. "His years of personal experience on the forefront of strategic and operational analysis for a critically-important U.S. ally make him an asset not only to us, but to U.S. policymakers grappling with the complexities of the Middle East."
As the head of RAD, Brig. Gen. Shalom was responsible for Israel's national intelligence assessment and served as most senior defense and intelligence analyst to the Israeli government. Among his accomplishments was the integration of big data and information technologies into the intelligence system, leading to greater cooperation between military research bodies and intelligence gathering units.
Brig. Gen. Shalom joined the Institute after serving three decades in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including service as chief instructor at the Israeli National Defense Academy. He also served as a national security advisor to Israel’s cabinet and participated in various aspects of Arab-Israel negotiations. Upon retirement, Brig. Gen. Shalom was awarded a special commendation from the IDF chief of staff, recognizing his contribution to the armed forces and to the State of Israel.
Brig. Gen. Shalom earned his BA in Middle Eastern Studies and Israeli History and his Executive MBA from Tel Aviv University, and his law degree from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC), with a legal clerkship in the international law section of the IDF Military Advocate.
Over the years, the Institute has hosted a series of Israeli military fellows, including three IDF chiefs of staff. Most recently, the Institute hosted Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot (IDF Res.), the just-retired chief of staff and author of the Institute publication Guidelines for Israel's National Security Strategy (October 2019).