The 29th JINSA Flag & General Officers Trip took place in May 2011 during a period of vast waves of upheaval in the region. The immediate activity included the “Arab Spring,” the announcement of a Hamas-Fatah Unity Government, the “naqba day” demonstrations that brought Palestinian demonstrators to Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon and plans for future demonstrations, and President Obama’s major address on the Middle East.

The 28th JINSA Flag & General Officers Trip took place in May 2010 during a period of political frustration between the United States and Israel. With various IDF and Ministry of Defense interlocutors, the group discussed Iran, hybrid war, Hezbollah, Hamas, the "two state solution," Lebanon, Syria, missiles, defensible borders and the Goldstone Report, for starters. But underlying all of the specifics, there were recurring themes that resonated with our military guests. The very resonance of the themes and the differences in detail may account for some of the frustration between the two countries.

The 27th JINSA Flag & General Officers Trip took place in May 2009, with two subjects clearly in the forefront of our discussions – one looking forward -Israel, and one looking back - Iran and Hezbollah.

The 26th JINSA Flag & General Officers Trip took place in September during a period of political and military flux. The JINSA delegation, consisting of 10 retired American admirals and generals, one professional staff member and four members of JINSA’s Board of Directors, traveled widely and met with Israeli civilian, military and intelligence professionals, as well as American Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. Security Coordinator for the Israel-Palestinian Authority.