The top general in charge of US military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia relinquished command in a ceremony in Florida on Friday.
Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, who has headed U.S. Central Command (Centcom) since March 2019, surrendered his position to Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla during a change of command ceremony in Tampa, Fla.
“Commanding CENTCOM has without a doubt been the greatest honor of my 42-year career,” said McKenzie, who is retiring after 42 years in the military, in a statement. “For the past 21 years, CENTCOM has been the only combatant command in close and sustained contact with America’s enemies. This is where every commander of the combat army wants to be.”
As head of Centcom, McKenzie oversaw key US military moments, including the chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan — a move he and other defense leaders advised against — as well as Iran’s aggression, the transition of coalition forces in Iraq to an advisory role, and The Multi -Nations fight against ISIS.
He also carried out then-President Trump’s order to kill Iran’s elite Kuds Force chief, Qasem Soleimani, in January 2020, a move that led to a missile attack on Iraq’s al-Asad Air Force Base, on the U.S. troops were stationed.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who attended the ceremony, said McKenzie’s tenure “deepened security in the region and at home for years to come.”
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Kurilla will now take control of a command made up of more than 44,000 service and family members overseas in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, along with nearly 5,000 staff members who work at headquarters assigned and affiliated with MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Kurilla, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC since October 2019, comes to Centcom at a time of tight security conditions around the world, including Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and an attempt to recruit fighters in Syria and elsewhere in the region.
He is also assuming command as the US government grapples with a reduced presence in the Middle East following its withdrawal from Afghanistan, a situation that could lead to a quick re-establishment of al Qaeda and ISIS-K in the country, he warned during its confirmation hearing in February.
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