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Army general Michael “Eric” Kurira is not used to conflict, especially in the Middle East.
Twenty years ago, as lieutenant colonel, he was at the forefront of battles fighting the rebels in Mosul, Iraq, but led the 2nd and 24th Infantry Regiment. The battalion’s mission was to conduct security patrols and coordinate attacks against anti-Iraqi rebels targeting Iraqi security forces and Iraqi police stations.
During Kurira’s tenure, leading the battalion, over 150 soldiers won Purple Hearts due to injuries, and the battalion lost at least 12 soldiers, the New York Times reported in August 2005.
“There will always be someone who will be happy to pick up an AK-47 and shoot an American,” Kurilla told The New York Times in August 2005.
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Kurilla did not complete the deployment unharmed. Then, in August 2005, Kurira was caught up in a shootout in Mosul, Iraq, where he suffered multiple gunshot wounds, winning a brave bronze star and one of his two Purple Heart Awards.
Currently, Kurira faces another battle as US Central Commander or Centcom commander, serving as the premier military officer overseeing the US military based in the Middle East.
So, Kurila, who attended the US Military Academy in West Point, is at the forefront of military operations as President Donald Trump is thinking about whether he will engage in a military strike against Iran’s nuclear site.
In May 2023, when he visited Flotilla 13, the Israeli Navy commando unit, he was asked to see US Central Commander Michael E. Kurira (IDF Press Office)
Centcom is one of the 11 US military combatant commanders, and includes 21 countries in the Middle East that operates, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those familiar with Kurilla claim that he is the perfect person for the job, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth describes Kurilla as an uplifting leader.
“General Kurira is a bold, dynamic and inspiring leader who strikes fear into the minds of American enemies,” Heggs said Thursday in a statement to Fox News Digital. “He was always the warrior who placed his own country, his mission and his army first, and it was an honor to serve with him to protect our great nation.”
Retired Army General General Mark Millie, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, spoke in 2022 when Biden nominated Kurila in the role of Kurila as the ideal Centcom leader.
“If there’s a way to feed the machine, the requirements for the perfect leader at Centcom – character traits, attributes, experience, knowledge, personality, etc., that machine will spit out Erik Kurilla,” Milley said in 2022. “Eric has immense experience in staff combat (and).
“He is a visionary, he is a thinker, he is an agent,” Millie said. “He understands both physical and human terrain, and is able to identify the root cause of problems and develop systems. He is not a linear thinker at all. He is actually a very talented problem solver.”
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The former chairman of Prime Minister Mark Millie’s joint chief, depicted here in 2022, described General Michael “Eric” Cleela as the ideal leader of the US Central Command. (Manuel Barth Senetta/Applications)
Retired Marine General Frank Mackenzie expressed similar sentiment to Kurila’s predecessor of St.com.
Mackenzie said in 2022, according to the Pentagon. “He is not a stranger in Centcom (operating area). He is not a stranger in headquarters.”
Notable numbers that previously filled the job leading Centcom have left former defense secretary General Jim Mattis, who served during Trump’s first term, and General Lloyd Austin, who served during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Fox News Digital reached out to Centcom, McKenzie and Milley for comment and did not receive a response by the time of publication.
This area is a familiar area of Kurilla. The general oversaw traditional and special operations forces between 2004 and 2014 during consecutive tours in the Middle East within Centcom range.
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Additionally, Kurilla has served in key Centcom staff and leadership positions, including serving as command chief from August 2018 to September 2019.
In addition to deploying to Iraq as part of Iraq’s inherent resolve to freedom and operations, he deployed to Afghanistan with Operation Freedom. Other awards he has won include combat infantry badges awarded to Army infantry or special forces officers who have encountered active ground combat.
Kurilla, which confirmed that the Senate will lead Centcom in February 2022 and will withdraw its role in the second half of 2025, told lawmakers on June 10 that American service members faced an increase in threats in the region when Hamas first attacked Israel in October 2023.
Specifically, the US military said it was fired directly by nearly 400 unmanned aerial systems, 350 rockets, 50 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles fired by Iran-backed groups.
US Central Commander General Michael Kurira will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 16, 2023 (Getty Images)
He said Centcom has encountered “the fastest time of any other time in the last decade.”
“We have been on the brink of regional wars several times in their history with the first state attacks between Iran and Israel,” Kleela told lawmakers. “In the Red Sea, attempts to kill Americans operating in the Red Sea required active responses to protect seafarers and sailors and restore freedom of navigation, continuing to threaten catastrophic impacts across the region as Tehran continues to advance towards its nuclear weapons program.”
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As a result, Kurilla said CentCom is ready to use military force to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state. Kurilla said it provided Trump and the Secretary of Defense with many options to adopt to eliminate the threat of nuclear Iran.
Tensions have risen further in the Middle East since Kurira’s testimony after Israel launched a massive airstrike on Iran’s nuclear sites, which it alleges Israel has killed several high-ranking military leaders. Similarly, Iran has also launched a strike against Israel.
Trump is still navigating whether the US will launch a direct strike against Iran. Trump told reporters that he might order a strike targeting Iranian nuclear site, “it’s going to be very big next week.”
“Yes, I might do that. I might not do that. I mean, no one knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said. “Iran has a lot of trouble and they say they want to negotiate.”
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
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