The Military Secretary to the Prime Minister ( he, המזכיר הצבאי של ראש הממשלה, ''HaMazkir HaTzva'i Shel Rosh HaMemshala''), is the senior military adviser to the
Prime Minister of Israel
The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...
on military and national security issues. As a member of the
Military Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a D ...
, the position is privy to most products of the
Israeli Intelligence Community
The Israeli Intelligence Community is made up of Aman (military intelligence), Mossad (overseas intelligence) and Shabak (internal security).
Current agencies
* Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman): the supreme military-intelligence bran ...
. The position's current incumbent is Major General Avi Gil.
History
Earlier Military Secretaries held the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel ( he, סגן אלוף). In later years,
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
's ( he, אלוף) and
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
s ( he, תת-אלוף) have served in the position.
Position's influence
It has been suggested that the raising of status of the Military Secretary has resulted in military considerations unduly weighing upon Israel's national security policy at the expense of other considerations. It has been additionally suggested that to remedy this, the position of Military Secretary ought to be held by a lower rank. Critics of this view have suggested that the Military Secretary's influence follows that of other positions, namely, the
National Security Council and the National Security Advisor.
List of Military Secretaries
See also
*
Director of National Intelligence, the equivalent in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
References
{{Military Secretaries to the Prime Minister of Israel
Israel Defense Forces
Government of Israel
Politics of Israel
Israeli Security Forces