GOVERNMENT

Gadi Eizenkot

Chief of staff, Israel Defense Forces

The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since 2015, Gadi Eizenkot has revolutionized Israel's military doctrine. Surveying the range of threats facing Israel 70 years after its independence, Eizenkot's "IDF Strategy" rests upon securing long periods of peace and deterrence after military force is used. The son of Moroccan immigrants to the Israeli city of Tiberias, Eizenkot is a former commander in the Golani Brigade. He also served as Israel's minister of defense under former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Among Eizenkot's honors is the US Legion of Merit, awarded to him by Gen. Joseph Dunford as recognition that his "contribution to the strategic cooperation between the United States and Israel will have a lasting effect on both countries." (Photo: Reuters / Baz Ratner / File.)