Looking for Meaning: Lessons From Mossad's Failed Adaptation to the Post- Cold War Era, Dr. Tamir Libel University College Dublin

Presentation Structure Post- Cold War roles, organizational and personnel challenges. Mossad’s roles and missions. Mossad’s post- Cold War roles, organizational and liaison evolution. Conclusions and lessons.

Post- Cold War Roles, Organizational and Personnel Challenges Changing of threats from state actors to non- state actors. Changing of collection needs and required expertise. Elimination of exemptions and enforcement of ‘regular’ public service rules and regulations on intelligence agencies. Growing public, media and legal scrutiny of intelligence services.

Mossad’s Roles and Missions Intelligence collection. Covert operations. Counterterrorism. Intelligence liaison. Secret diplomacy. Jewish illegal immigration. Protection of Jewish communities abroad.

Mossad’s Post- Cold War Priorities: Changes and Continuity Shabtai Shavit ( ): Iran; NBC proliferation; international terrorism. Danny Yatom ( ): Islamic terrorism; NBC proliferation; Iran. Efraim Halevy ( ): Iran; counterterrorism; NBC proliferation. Meir Dagan ( ): The Iranian nuclear project; NBC proliferation; international terrorism. Tamir Prado (2011- present): ?

Mossad’s post- Cold War Organizational and Institutional Challenges: Failed Adaptation Shabtai Shavit ( ): Enhancement of research and assessment capabilities. Danny Yatom ( ): Enhancement of operational units; development of the first multi- year work plan; improving accountability and reliability norms. Efraim Halevy ( ): Establishment of Research Division; assignment of instruction responsibilities to Human Resources Division; reforming selection and recruitment strategies; beginning of enforcing public service rules and regulations. Meir Dagan ( ): Inconsistent and constant organizational restructuring; manpower, budgetary and organizational expansion. Tamir Prado (2011- present): Increasing accountability and financial oversight.

Mossad’s Post- Cold War Domestic and Foreign liaison: Forging Alliances Shabtai Shavit ( ): Efforts to increase cooperation with the IDF and domestic and foreign intelligence services. Danny Yatom ( ): Suspicious and bad relations with the rest of intelligence community. Efraim Halevy ( ): Regular liaison with domestic and foreign services. Meir Dagan ( ): The turning point domestically and internationally. Moving from selective intelligence sharing into close coordination and gradually even beginning of operational cooperation. Tamir Prado (2011- present): Domestic and International intelligence sharing and joint operations.

Conclusions Mossad's overall missions and roles remained more or less the same but their order of priority has changed. Much of the success and failure of the partial adaptation to the post- Cold War missions described above resulted from two interconnected factors: Reforms and organizational culture. While the first three Heads of Mossad tried to adapt the agency to the new era, then Meir Dagan succeeded to revive its sense of mission and reputation by focusing on one operational mission. However, Dagan’s sacrificed the long term viability of the organization for short term gains. Overall, the Mossad still needs to find its meaning and structure for the 21 st culture.

Lessons for the 21 st Century While intelligence services’ roles and missions remained relatively constant then their priorities and nature of opponents changed significantly. The gradual elimination of legal exemptions and enforcement of public service rules is blessing not a curse. More attention should be paid to internal sources of intelligence reforms and the role senior officials play within them.