Shafaq News/ US Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla took command of U.S. Central Command on April 1, formally succeeding Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. in a ceremony in Tampa, Fla.
Kurilla’s ascension to the head of CENTCOM comes at a potentially key moment for the US combatant command. The Pentagon has increasingly emphasized competition with China as the nation’s “pacing challenge,” and the invasion of Ukraine has brought renewed focus to Europe and the “acute threat” Russia presents. After more than 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. has left, reducing its presence in the region.
Despite all this, Kurilla argued in the first few moments after taking command, the U.S. “must remain fiercely and actively engaged in the 21 countries of Central Command.”
“Our adversaries are watching closely for any sign that America’s commitment to the collective security of the region is wavering,” Kurilla warned. “Our adversaries are poised to capitalize on any opportunities that emerge. We must not grant them any.”
Kurilla also made the case for the US Defense Department to continue investing in the region, pointing to both its strategic importance and future threats.
“We must ensure a favorable balance of power in the region. CENTCOM must maintain the requisite resources to find, fix, and finish threats to the homeland before those threats develop the capability to conduct external operations; to secure maritime straits and global trade routes; to ensure the free flow of commerce through the region,” Kurilla said.
Kurilla’s comments echoed those made by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, who spoke at the ceremony and addressed the service members serving in CENTCOM directly.
“This region is where we protect waterways so that global commerce can flow. It’s where we fight terrorists who threaten our citizens. And it’s where we work with our partners to confront instability from Iran and its proxies,” Lloyd said. “CENTCOM is central to our security. It’s central to our readiness. And it’s central to our mission.”
In the short term, Austin said, CENTCOM will continue to focus on intelligence sharing and regional air defense, a nod to the recent airstrikes by Iranian-backed militias on American allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—in some cases, the strikes have even targeted bases with U.S. personnel.
In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kurilla, who previously served as chief of staff of CENTCOM, stressed the importance of both human and artificial intelligence in countering Iran.
In the longer term, Austin said, “we’ll work together to tackle Iran’s use of missiles and its proliferation of unmanned aerial systems. And we’ll keep standing strong with our partners to hold Iran and its proxies accountable.”
The threat from Iran was consistently cited by Kurilla’s predecessor, McKenzie, as the primary concern for CENTCOM. But the course of his three-year tenure was marked by several other key moments—in particular, Austin highlighted Israel’s transition to the area of responsibility, the transition to an advise-and-assist role in Iraq, and the non-combatant evacuation out of Afghanistan that rescued more than 124,000 people but resulted in the deaths of 13 service members in a suicide bombing.
