• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

CENTCOM Commander Visits Regional Partners

U.S. Central Command

June 1, 2023

USCENTCOM
June 01, 2023
Release Number 20230601-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. -- Over the last two weeks, Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, met with regional partners from the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Israel.

From May 15-16, Kurilla traveled to UAE where he met with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE Chief of Defense, Staff Lt. Gen. Engineer Eisa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei. Kurilla and President Zayed discussed shared regional security concerns as well as U.S. and UAE security partnerships. Kurilla and the UAE Chief of Defense discussed the strong military-to-military ties and the shared regional outlook of the two nations. As part of the visit, Kurilla toured the Wahat Al Karama Memorial where he placed a wreath in honor of those who had given their lives in the defense of UAE, including those who died alongside U.S. servicemembers in recent conflicts.

On May 17, Kurilla traveled to Saudi Arabia and met with Chief of Defense, Staff General Fayyad bin Hamed Al Ruwaili; Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, Staff Lieutenant General Mazyad bin Sulaiman Al Amro; Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, Staff Lieutenant General Turki Bandar Abdulaziz Aal Saud; and Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Defense, Staff Major General Talal Bin Abdullah Bin Turki Al Otaibi. The meetings focused on the strong bilateral military relationship and ways to increase joint efforts, including the Eagle Resolve 23 exercise. Kurilla also visited the RSAF Airi Operations Center where he discussed integrating the air threat picture across the region and increasing the interoperability of security systems.

On May 18, Kurilla visited Iraq where he met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and the commander of the Joint Operations Command for Iraq, Lt. Gen. Qais Al Muhammadawi. Kurilla praised Iraq's commitment to continuing the fight against ISIS, which resulted in ISIS attacks reaching historic lows during the month of Ramadan. The leaders also discussed the current security situation in Iraq and the progress of the Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against ISIS.

On May 19, Kurilla visited Kuwait where he met with the Minister of Defense, Sheikh Talal Khalid Al Ahmed Al Sabah and the Chief of Defense, Staff Maj. Gen. Ghazi Hassan Jazaa Al Shammari. The leaders discussed matters of regional security, shared interests, and ways to strengthen the two countries longstanding military-to-military relationship. Kurilla expressed gratitude for the unwavering support Kuwait has provided to operations, including their immediate offer of support during the Sudan crisis.

From May 21-22, Kurilla visited Qatar where he met with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani the Emir of Qatar, the Minister of Defense, Khalid bin Muhammad Al Attiyah, and the Chief of Defense, Lt. Gen Salim Hamad Aquil Al Nabit. The meeting focused on the excellent military to military relationship between the two countries. Kurilla thanked the Qatari leadership for their constant support of the U.S. and our allies and partners. The leaders expressed their desire to work more closely together to meet regional security challenges.

From May 30-31, Kurilla visited Israel where he met with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Defense, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Israeli Defense and Armed Forces Attaché, Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman. During this meeting, the leaders focused on working toward closer interoperability, building joint operational capability, and partnership. While in Israel, Kurilla also met with the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, who expressed the importance of joint exercises between the U.S. and Israel, and further deepening cooperation between the respective militaries and defense establishments.

"The key to stability in the CENTCOM region is in the continued building of interoperability with our partners," said Kurilla. "These visits are critical and the information I learn first-hand is invaluable. Meeting with each of our partners, discussing shared opportunities and shared concerns, allows us to deepen our ties and brings home the importance of working together to improve regional security."

-30-