Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general and defense strategist whose broad research scope ranges from Israel’s relations with China to its regional political-military strategy and policy, is the Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow with The Washington Institute.
During his career in the Israel Defense Forces, General Orion was responsible for strategic planning, policy, international cooperation, and military diplomacy. He also served as a liaison to neighboring militaries and peacekeeping forces in the region. He was most recently the head of the Strategic Division in the Planning Directorate of the IDF General Staff. In this position, he headed the IDF team to the tripartite talks in Lebanon, led staff meetings with counterparts from the Pentagon and from other defense establishments, took part in the U.S.-Israel security dialogue, and represented the IDF in talks with the Palestinian Authority.
After retiring from the IDF in 2016, General Orion joined the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv where he serves as senior research fellow and director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Center for Israel-China Policy.
Education
MPA, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; BA, Tel Aviv University.
