US Military Replaces Staunch Israel Supporter With New CENTCOM Commander
The U.S. armed forces said that Navy Adm. Brad Cooper replaced Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla as commander of U.S. Central Command on Friday.
A staunch supporter of the Jewish state, Kurilla helped guide Israel’s transition from U.S. European Command to CENTCOM in 2021. That move integrated Israel into America’s alliance with Gulf and other Arab partners in the region and facilitated cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem on strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in June.
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“The country owes Gen. Kurilla a tremendous amount of gratitude for his outstanding service over the decades, but especially for his fantastic job as CENTCOM commander,” Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told JNS.”
Kurilla made 30 visits to Israel, according to Makovsky, who said that JINSA pushed for Israel to be transferred into the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
“One can’t compliment Gen. Kurilla and his dogged efforts enough. Israel being part of CENTCOM’s area of responsibility was integral to this success,” Makovsky said. “His successor Adm. Cooper is also fantastic, and I expect he’ll be just as good as Kurilla.”
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Read the full piece in the JNS.