Yosef retired from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as Rear Admiral in the Israeli Navy following 36 years of service in numerous positions. In his last position in the Israeli Navy, Yosef served as the Navy’s Head of Technology, Logistics, and Materiel Command, Prior to his recent Navy leadership role, Yosef served as the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Naval Shipyard. Beforehand, he served in the Navy’s Headquarters as Head of the Planning, Maintenance & Logistics Department.. 

Dr. Ben Ari served for 14 years in the Israeli Navy, holding command, training and staff positions. After leaving the Navy, he joined the defense industry and for 38 years held marketing and management positions at Elbit Systems, including head of the international marketing department and managing director of Elbit’s activities in Asia. He lived in Singapore for many years, accumulating vast knowledge and practical experience in the culture and business of SEA...

Rear Admiral(Res.) Ido Ben-Moshe is former Head of Naval Operation of the Israel Defense Forces. He served in Israel’s Navy for more than 3 decades, in leading positions. Ben-Moshe received his master's degree in Social Science from the University of Haifa and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the Inter Disciplinary Center in Herzliya. Ben-Moshe also Graduated the Israeli National Security College.

Commander (Ret.) Ido Gilad served in the Israeli Navy for more than two decades. He holds Bachelor degree in History of the Middle East, Master degree in Curriculum Planning, and another conferral Thesis focused on Leadership in extreme conditions, from the University of Haifa. Since 2017 he is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Haifa. His research focuses on Geo Strategy, with the emphasis of Super-powers Maritime presence in the East Med. especially Russia.

26 years of experience in commanding and staff positions in the Israeli Navy (retired as a Navy Captain), including commanding on various Israeli Navy vessel types, senior managing roles of large organizations, business planning and strategy building, broad Navy Headquarter roles, internal and external partners’ management. 20 years of experience managing and leading two major ports in Israel: Ashdod Port and Haifa Port (before and after the ports’ reform 2005...

1998-2016, service at the Israeli Administration of Shipping and Ports, Ministry of Transport. The last 6 years in the capacity of Director of Shipping and Ports Inspectorate (Deputy Director General). In close professional contact with the European Maritime Agency (EMSA) and the Centre of Contingency and Response to Oil Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC and Italian Coast Guard). Lecturer on Dangerous Goods and Prevention of Ship-sourced pollution... 

Rear Admiral (Ret.) Oded Gour-Lavie is a Research Fellow in the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Strategy. He is the Chairman of the Dolphin Association of former submariners. He is active in several entrepreneurial projects in cyber, energy and agriculture. GourLavie recently finished a 30-year career in the IDF, and his last position was Head of Strategic Task Force after operation Protective Edge, as part of the planning directorate. He is the former Head of the Naval Operations and Doctrines Division...

Dr. Avinoam Idan is a geostrategist,focused on the strategic role of geography in shaping international relations. His area of interest includes the Euro-Asian subcontinent, particularly Russia, the post-Soviet space and the Chinese Belt Road Initiative. (BRI) Dr.Idan is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow wif the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, based in Washington DC. In addition, he teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya,Israel (IDC)...

DR. Gil Zeidner holds a Ph.D in marine ecology and teaches as an adjunct lecturer at the Technion Institute. Gil has over two decades of experience in environmental consultation and management of marine infrastructure projects in Israel and the U.S. Currently he is working as a senior environmental consultant to the private and governmental sectors.

RADM (Ret.) Yoram Laks Joined the Israeli Navy in 1981, graduated the Israeli Naval Academy and served in the operational field as a missile bouts commander, squadrons commander and Intelligence posts. Served as the Head of the Naval Academy, Commanding Officer of the Ashdod Naval Arena, Naval attaché in Washington DC and as the Head of the Israeli Naval Intelligence. Yoram earned a B.A. in Economics and Management at the University of Haifa...

Israel Leshem is an adviser in the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Policy & Strategy. He is Senior Lecturer in the project of the naval cadet’s course in the University of Haifa. Dr. Leshem served for 31 years in the navy & I.D.F. His last position was General Comptroller for the I.D.F in the office of the General Controller for the Ministry of Defence. He is former Commander of the Israeli Submarine Flotilla and representative of the navy in the committee for Peace with Egypt ...

Rear Admiral (Ret.) Dr. Arieh Rona received his Ph.D. in History from Bar Ilan University and is a Research Fellow in the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Strategy. Dr. Rona served for 31 years in the Israeli navy, holding many sea command and staff positions. Among them Commander of an Israeli Naval Flotilla, Head of Naval Intelligence and IDF Attaché in Italy. After retiring from the Navy Dr. Rona held the position as Head of the Colleges Department...

Orin is a corporate and commercial attorney, and has been active in the energy and high-tech industries for over fifteen years. As part of his expertise, Orin has worked on offshore oil & gas projects in Israel, and has focused on the development of offshore infrastructure. Orin writes, researches and lectures periodically as part of the M.A Program on National Security and Maritime Strategy offered by the School of Political Sciences at the University of Haifa...

Capt. (Ret.) Shlomo Gueta was born in October 1952. From 1971 to 1993, he served in various roles within the Israeli Navy intelligence command. Rising through the ranks to Captain (navy) in 1990, his last active role was the position of naval intelligence head of research. During his military service, Shlomo completed a bachelor’s degree with honors at Tel Aviv University, majoring in extended studies of the history of the Middle East, along with a minor in general history and statistics.