Kurilla Hands Centcom Leadership in ADM. Cooper after Iran strikes
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General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the military officer who supervised the execution of Iran strikes in June, retired from the military service and put the reins back after three years of the head of American troops in the Middle East.
Kurilla, a graduate of the American military academy in West Point, became commander of the American central command (Centcom) in 2022, and supervised the planning and the execution of at least 15 major combined combined operations, according to command.
Among these, two took place during its last months leading command: the Operation Rough Rider targeting the Houthis in Yemen in March and April, and the Midnight Hammer operation striking Iranian nuclear sites in June.
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General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, then-commun of the American central command, is aimed at participants during the army day at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, May 19, 2023. (SGT staff price. Latasha / army)
Operation Midnight Hammer has targeted Iranian nuclear installations Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, and involved more than 125 American planes, including B-2 stealth bombers, according to the president of the joint staff chiefs, General Dan Caine. Likewise, a guided missile submarine also launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles on key targets.
“General Kurilla is a daring, dynamic and inspiring leader who strikes fear in the hearts of American enemies,” said defense secretary Pete Hegseth in a June declaration in Fox News Digital. “It is a warrior from start to finish who always puts his country, his mission and his troops first. It was an honor to serve by his side to defend our great nation.”
Kurilla has spent a large career by focusing on operations in the Middle East. From 2004 to 2014, the general supervised the forces of conventional and special operations during consecutive visits which were a hundredcom.
During this period, Kurilla finished tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kurilla is known for his involvement in a fight against Mosul, Iraq, in August 2005, where he underwent several ball injuries. The meeting earned him a bronze star with Valor and one of his two Purple Heart Awards.
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Then commander of the American central command (Centcom), General Michael E. Kurilla during a visit to the Israeli Navy commando unit, Flotilla 13 (“Shayett 13”) in May 2023. (IDF Press Office)
Notable figures that previously managed Centcom include former defense secretaries, retired general Jim Mattis, who served during Trump’s first mandate, and retired general Lloyd Austin, who served during the administration of former president Joe Biden.
At the beginning of August, ADM. Adm. Brad Cooper of the US Navy now directs one of the 11 US army combat commands, with 21 nations in the Middle East in its area of operations – including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Like Kurilla, Cooper is no stranger in the Middle East. The previous assignments include the assistant commander’s function of Centcom and the supervision of the American Naval Forces Central Command in the Middle East, where he directed efforts to employ unmanned service ships in the fleet.
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Ad-Adm. Adm. Brad Cooper talks during an event at the exhibition and the international defense conference in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on February 21, 2023. (Jon Gambrell / The Associated Press)
Cooper officially resumed the Centcom on August 8 at a change of order change in Tampa, Florida, where the siege of Centcom is located. Kurilla’s retirement ceremony occurred the same day, a spokesperson for Centcom confirmed to Fox News Digital.
“The American central command and all the joint force have exceptionally performed well under the direction of General Kurilla, helping to strengthen partnerships, to increase the lethality of the American forces and to defend the Americans and civilians abroad,” said Cooper in a press release. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to direct American sons and daughters while we support the important mission of improving regional security and stability in the central command region.”
