Fresh off a weeklong trip to Israel, State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson said Monday he was impressed by that nation’s security measures and its meticulous attention to detail.

In the latest issue of Maarachot, the bimonthly IDF journal, JINSA’s Generals and Admirals trip to Israel is referenced as a leading example of the ways the IDF can engage in military public diplomacy.

JINSA's 2012 Generals and Admirals Trip was recognized in Congress on November 27, 2012 by Hon. Eric Cantor

JINSA leaders, including special guest Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Leif Babin, USN (ret.), arrived in Israel on Sunday June 24 for a one-week visit. The agenda had been carefully formulated to address issues of major and immediate concern, including the Iranian threat, implications of the so called “Arab Spring,” the status of the peace process as well as other military and national security matters that are always of interest to JINSA members.

2012 saw JINSA’s Military Academies Program in Israel double in size, allowing 57 future U.S. military officers from the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and the Coast Guard Academy to experience Israel in a hands-on manner that emphasized personal interactions with Israelis from all backgrounds but especially their IDF counterparts.

For the 9th year in a row, JINSA members and non-members alike supported American troops through JINSA’s Deserving Soldiers Holiday Appeal. In 2011, JINSA raised close $140,000 toward these efforts. Since the campaign began in 2003, JINSA has raised and distributed more than $1 million.

The 2012 JINSA delegation of retired American generals and admirals visited Israel and Jordan this month to meet with senior military, intelligence, and political officials to learn more about the regional security challenges that Israel faces. The U.S. officers visited all of Israel's borders and were briefed by senior IDF commanders on all fronts.