US President Joe Biden has appointed the commander of the most seasoned units in the US military, General Michael Kurilla, to head US operations in the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on Friday (January 7th).
If his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, General Kurilla will succeed Marine General Kenneth McKenzie at the head of the Central Command (Centcom) of the United States Army, which oversees military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and the United States. Yemen.
General Kurilla, 55, currently commands the 18e airborne corps which brings together at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the majority of the intervention forces of the United States Army.
The prestigious 82e parachute division
Former West Point, he notably fought in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, where he was seriously wounded by gunshot during an assault in Mosul, in 2005. He also held responsibilities at the general staff of the United States Army and commanded the prestigious 82e parachute division, known to have participated in the Normandy landings in 1944.
The American army is organized in geographic commands like Africom for Africa or Eucom for Europe, but also thematic like the strategic command (Stratcom) in charge of the nuclear armament of the country or the Spacecom, in charge of space. .