Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Army’s 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as head of Central Command, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Kurilla, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, would be promoted to four-rank general and succeed Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie to oversee military operations in the Middle East if confirmed by the Senate.
Kurilla previously served as chief of staff at CENTCOM. His military career included time as commanding general of the 82nd airborne division, deputy director for special operations and counterterrorism at the Joint Staff and assistant commanding general at Joint Special Operations Command. He also served in the Gulf War and as a battalion commander in Mosul, Iraq.
His nomination comes as the current administration deals with the effects of U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear program and regional influence.