The White House has nominated a top Army general on Wednesday to become the next leader of U.S. Central Command.
Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will replace Gen. Frank McKenzie if confirmed.
The Senate received a nomination for Kurilla on Wednesday, and it was referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee, congressional records show, though it doesn’t specify the position.
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Kurilla would replace McKenzie, who has been in the role since March 2019, whose tenure will end on April 1.
“While Lieutenant General Kurilla is honored by the nomination to serve as commander of US Central Command, he is not presuming confirmation and remains solely focused on his present responsibilities in command of the XVIII Airborne Corps,” Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Kurilla, said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.
Kurilla was born and raised in Minnesota, and he’s a 1988 graduate of West Point, according to his biography. He served in the Gulf War and served in Central Command for a 10-year period from 2004 to 2014.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
He will be walking into the role following a tumultuous year for Central Command, which includes most of the Middle East. The final year of McKenzie’s tenure as commander included the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and the attacks against troops in Syria and Iraq, while the Department of Defense has shifted its attention to the Asia-Pacific region, where it believes the greater threats lie.
Even with the Pentagon declaring China as America’s “pacing challenge,” Kurilla, if confirmed, will have to navigate an Afghanistan that has a growing terror threat with the Taliban in control and no U.S. troops in the area.
A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
