This article is based on an interview with Tamir Pardo, the 11th Director of the Mossad (2011-2016), conducted in Herzliya, Israel, in the summer of 2023 as part of a broader oral history project on Israeli intelligence culture and leadership. Pardo discusses his background in the military and intelligence sectors and offers perspectives on leadership and the strategic issues that influence Israel's role in the region. His observations illuminate key patterns in Israel's national security thinking, particularly the relationship between tactical effectiveness, long-term strategy, and the balance between secrecy, ethics, and political communication. This interview also provides an insider perspective on the Mossad's institutional history and intelligence culture in the period preceding the surprise attack of 7 October 2023. That event is often described as a watershed moment comparable to Pearl Harbor (1941), the Yom Kippur War (1973), and 11 September 2001.
Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Beth Sanner offers guidance for managing politically charged intelligence assessments, examining the controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program following US and Israeli strikes in June 2025. Sanner provides practical lessons for reducing friction between the intelligence and policy communities by considering the contentious 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which generated similar political opprobrium. She warns about the implications of analysts failing to provide objective assessments and of policymakers failing to consider inconvenient analytic conclusions. Preserving open and honest communication between analysts and decision-makers is essential for informed policy and, ultimately, for our national security.
