The Army general who was nominated to lead the U.S. Central Command had a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill before departing for Europe to join the rest of his soldiers.
Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that once the hearing ends, he’d be departing for Germany to join the troops already deployed that are under his command.
“Yes, I will be leaving right after the hearing to fly over to be continued part of that deployment,” Kurilla said.
Last week, President Joe Biden deployed approximately 3,000 troops to Eastern European countries amid the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which U.S. officials have said could happen “at any point.”
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Roughly 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg will deploy to Poland and Germany, while another 1,000 or so will re-position from Germany to Romania, which is NATO’s westernmost country. Among the first group, roughly 1,700 of those service members are from the 82nd Airborne Division, while the rest are from the 18th Airborne Corps.
He’ll be going to Germany to join the 18th Airborne Corps, Capt. Matt Visser, the acting director of public affairs, confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Russia has amassed a significant military presence both on its border with Ukraine and within Belarus, which also borders Ukraine but from the north and is closer to the capital city of Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he does not want NATO expanding further east.
Kurilla’s confirmation hearing appeared to be more of a formality, with a number of senators across party lines congratulating him on the position, though he also faced questions ranging from ISIS threats to the Afghanistan withdrawal, Russia and Ukraine, and China.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, and a veteran who said she had known the general for more than 25 years, told him that “while you can’t assume confirmation, I absolutely can because I will be supporting” your nomination. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis added, “I don’t gamble, but I do bet from time to time, and that’s when I’m absolutely certain I’m going to win it. So I have to agree with Sen. Ernst. I think you’ll have strong support from this committee.”
Ernst and Tillis are Republicans.
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Kurilla would replace Gen. Frank McKenzie, who has been in the role since March 2019. McKenzie’s tenure will end on April 1.
