IDF Command and Staff College

The Command and Staff College (Hebrew: המכללה הבין-זרועית לפיקוד ולמטה), abbreviated Hebrew: פּוּ"ם, פום, PUM, also translated as Inter-Service Command and Staff College, Israel, is intended for the training of senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers. It was established on May 31, 1954.[1]

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PUM graduation ceremony (2020)

In the mid-1980s the collected statistics showed that a significant number of senior officers paid little attention to this kind of study. This, together with the drawbacks in military training revealed during the 1982 Lebanon War, had led to a series of reorganizations,[2] continued well into 2010s.[3]

In 1991 all military colleges, including PUM, were merged into the IDF Military Colleges unit under the General Staff.[4]

In 2004 it was decided to add a course for Air Force.

Eventually the two courses were merged into a single "Afek course" (named after Sharon Afek) intended for commanders and staff officers ranked Lieutenant Colonel and above from all military arms.[5]

In 2018 the University of Haifa had won the first-ever educational tender from the IDF for all military colleges, including PUM.[6]