The U.S. Central Command ushered in new leadership on Friday, bidding farewell to its previous commander, U.S. Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, and welcoming incoming commander U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper.
Cooper, who previously served as deputy commander at CENTCOM, was nominated by President Donald Trump for head of CENTCOM on June 4. The admiral was confirmed as the new leader during a change of command ceremony held at the Tampa Convention Center, Florida, according to a CENTCOM press release.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead America’s sons and daughters as we support the important mission of enhancing regional security and stability in the Central Command region,” Cooper said in a statement provided in the release.
It is just the second time that a Navy admiral has held the top job. The first was Adm. William Fallon, who led the command in 2007.
Cooper will oversee military missions involving 21 countries in regions including the Middle East, according to the release.
He will be tasked with confronting increasing tension in the region, as the Trump administration aims to strike a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas amid rising death tolls in Gaza.
A July 30 report from The Washington Post cited that 60,000 Gazans have died since Israel began their military campaign in 2023 against Hamas — 18,500 of whom were children.
Hamas killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and abducted 250 hostages during its Oct.7, 2023, attack on Israel. It is believed that there are 20 remaining hostages in Gaza.
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The U.S. is also trying to broker a deal with Iran for the country to drop its uranium enrichment program.
Kurilla assumed command of CENTCOM in April 2022 and worked to provide stability and security to the Middle East, combating ISIS and completing 15 major combined combat operations, which included Operation Rough Rider and Midnight Hammer.
Operation Rough Rider was launched by CENTCOM on March 15 to target Iranian-backed Houthi Rebels. The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman fired over 1.1 million pounds of ordnance and delivered the largest carrier-launched airstrike in history as part of the operation.
Operation Midnight Hammer was a June 22 precision strike in which B-2 stealth bombers unleashed 14 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
During the ceremony, Kurilla looked back fondly on his time leading military personnel.
“It has been the honor of my life to have been their commander,” Kurilla said.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
