Adm. Brad Cooper steps new CENTCOM chief

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

Replacing Gen. Michael Kurilla, who served in the position since 2022, Cooper, who was his deputy comes with experience in the Middle East arena.

Adm. Charles Bradford "Brad" Cooper Jr. was appointed commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the Middle East — including against Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen, replacing Gen. Michael Kurilla, who had held the post since April 2022.

The change-of-command ceremony took place overnight at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida.

A seasoned naval warfare officer, Cooper has served as CENTCOM’s deputy commander since February. Before that, he led U.S. naval forces in the Middle East for three years, commanding the Fifth Fleet and spearheading multinational maritime cooperation. His career includes key leadership roles across U.S. Pacific and Africa Commands, the Pentagon and the White House. He also served in combat operations in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and the Red Sea, and as a senior adviser to the Afghan government.

During his time in naval command, Cooper directed maritime operations against Iran and the Houthis, including the campaign launched in December to secure commercial shipping in the Gulf and Red Sea. He described it in February as “the largest and most intense operation by the U.S. Navy since World War II.” He also initiated the Navy’s first task force integrating unmanned systems and artificial intelligence.