Outgoing head of U.S. Central Command Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, left, and incoming commander Adm. Brad Cooper stand at attention at a CENTCOM change of command ceremony in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 8, 2025. (Thomas Gagnier/U.S. Central Command)
Leadership of the U.S. military in the Middle East has shifted to Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who takes over command from an Army general who oversaw critical operations throughout the region.
Cooper moves up from deputy chief of U.S. Central Command and succeeds retiring Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla as leader of the Florida-based command.
With Friday’s change of command ceremony, Cooper became the leader of a command that covers 21 countries in a region where tensions are again running high.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead America’s sons and daughters as we support the important mission of enhancing regional security,” Cooper said in a statement.
He previously led Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces out of Bahrain.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, incoming U.S. Central Command leader Adm. Brad Cooper and outgoing CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, from left, stand at attention at a change of command ceremony Aug. 8, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (Thomas Gagnier/U.S. Central Command)
The handoff occurs amid Israeli plans to escalate the nearly two-year war against Hamas and ongoing negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program.
The U.S. is also consolidating its forces in Syria and Iraq, where the military has assisted operations against Islamic State militants for more than a decade.
Kurilla departs after more than three years in the job and is slated to retire. In his time as CENTCOM commander, he led the planning and execution of more than 15 major combined combat operations, according to the statement.
Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla greets an airman at an undisclosed location in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in November 2023. Kurilla handed over the CENTCOM reins to Navy Adm. Brad Cooper at a ceremony Aug. 8, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (Stassney Davis/U.S. Air Force)
They included the six-week conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen earlier this year and Operation Midnight Hammer, a series of American airstrikes in June that destroyed three key Iranian nuclear sites.
“It has been the honor of my life to have been their commander,” he said.
About 40,000 American troops are deployed in the Middle East across at least 19 sites, according to the Council on Foreign Relations’ most recent estimate, published in June.
The U.S. maintains several permanent bases throughout the region, including in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar.
