Biden Nominates Michael E. Kurilla to Lead Central Command

Politics|Biden Nominates Combat Leader to Head Central Command

WASHINGTON — President Biden has nominated Lt. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla to beryllium the adjacent caput of the military’s marquee combatant operations bid liable for prosecuting the wars successful Afghanistan and Iraq, according to paperwork sent to the Senate.

General Kurilla, if confirmed, would regenerate Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., whose tenure is acceptable to extremity this spring.

As the person of Central Command, General Kurilla would beryllium liable for the administration’s efforts to forestall violent groups from erstwhile again utilizing Afghanistan arsenic a launching pad for attacks connected the West. In withdrawing American troops from the 20-year warfare determination past year, Mr. Biden determined that the United States’ caller strategy would beryllium to usage drone and different strikes from afar, oregon “over the horizon,” to quell immoderate specified threats that originate successful Afghanistan.

The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has mostly consumed Central Command implicit the past year. But General Kurilla volition besides person to support way of Iran, wherever stumbling efforts to revive the atomic accord negotiated by President Barack Obama and abandoned by his successor, President Donald J. Trump, person led to accrued tensions.

Central Command is besides liable for the Middle East, including Iraq and Syria, wherever subject bases lodging American troops were attacked connected Wednesday. No American troops were killed successful the strikes, but defence officials person said a bid of caller attacks could beryllium related to the day of the Trump administration’s assassination of Iran’s apical subject commander, Qassim Suleimani, successful January 2020.

General Kurilla is simply a combat-tested commander, having been wounded successful a 2005 weapon conflict during the Iraq warfare successful the metropolis of Mosul erstwhile helium was a battalion commander. He roseate done the ranks, with stints arsenic main of unit to the caput of the military’s Central Command astatine the time, Gen. Joseph L. Votel, and adjunct commanding wide and manager of operations astatine the Joint Special Operations Command.

General Kurilla was besides commandant of the 82nd Airborne Division, 1 of the Army’s astir battle-tested units. He is presently the commandant of the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps astatine Fort Bragg successful North Carolina. Along with his nomination, helium is being promoted to wide from lieutenant general.

Raised successful Elk River, Minn., the wide holds a bachelor’s grade successful aerospace engineering from the U.S. Military Academy astatine West Point, an M.B.A. from Regis University successful Denver, and an M.S. successful National Security Studies from the National War College.