(Photo courtesy IDF)
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
The important visit of US CENTCOM head General Erik Kurilla to Israel in late July follows increasing joint training between Israel and US Central Command.
On July 27 Israel’s IDF put out the following statement. “The Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) visited the IDF. The main goal of the visit: Continued joint coordination in the face of the security challenges in the region, among them the Iranian Threat.”
He landed on Wednesday July 25 and the next day he met with the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, and visited the Intelligence Directorate (J2).
It went on to note that on Wednesday “the Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General (* * * *) Michael “Erik” Kurilla visited the IDF as an official guest of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi. As part of the visit, the regional security issues and the continuation of planning shared by the militaries was discussed with members of the General Staff and senior officials of the Strategic Planning and Cooperation Directorate (J5), the Intelligence Directorate (J2) and the Operations Directorate (J3).”
Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi said, “the cooperation is continuous and deepening. Operational coordination is the basis for regional stability and the required readiness of the IDF.” Kurilla said “significant progress has been made in interoperability between the IDF and U.S. Central Command in the short time Israel has been part of the CENTCOM area of responsibility. The ability for our forces to work together is a key aspect of our combined efforts to support regional stability.”
It came the same day that the IDF noted that exercise Juniper Spartan has come to an end. A statement noted; “a Joint Exercise of Flotilla 13 Alongside US Armed Force. Today (Thursday July 27) exercise ‘JS’ has come to an end, JS is a joint exercise of Flotilla 13 ,the Israeli Naval Commando Unit and the US Armed Forces, led by the IDF Depth Corps. The forces held different maritime security training scenarios. The purpose of the “JS” exercise is to strengthen the cooperation and the professional dialogue, between the Israeli Navy, US 5 Fleet forces and the Depth Corps that took place as part of the joint annual training plan. Collaborations with foreign partners around the world, namely with the US Armed Force, lead us to mutual learning and the strengthening of professional ties, as well as professional improvements. This exercise is yet another sign of the deep and operational cooperation between the IDF and the United States Armed Forces.”
US Central Command also put out a statement about the Kurilla visit noting the visit took place from July 25-27 and that “commander of U.S. Central Command, traveled to Israel to visit the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, the IDF Intelligence Directorate, and other specialized units. General Kurilla met with the Israel Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and the Israel Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi to discuss shared commitment to address regional security concerns and the progress being made in cooperation between the IDF and CENTCOM. The CENTCOM Directors of Intelligence, Operations, and Plans and Policy attended the engagements. General Kurilla also visited several other specialized units while in Israel.”
“Significant progress has been made in interoperability between the IDF and U.S. Central Command in the short time Israel has been part of the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” said Kurilla. “The ability for our forces to work together is a key aspect of our combined efforts to support regional stability.”
The visit, which CENTCOM also noted on social media comes in the context of important joint operations and events in the region. The US has sent F-22s, F-16s, ships and other forces to the region in recent months amid tensions with Russia and Iran. For instance Russia has harassed US drones in Syria and recently damaged one of the drones.
On July 25 US NAVCENT showed off new unmanned capabilities, noting “an Aerovel Flexrotor unmanned aerial vehicle launches from guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) in the Gulf of Oman, July 23. US 5th Fleet continues to innovate & integrate advanced unmanned tech into daily missions across the Middle East region.” The US also recently did a “counter-UAS exercise [that] brought together air forces from France, United Kingdom, U.S., and three other regional air forces, fostering collaboration and strengthening capacity in countering the UAS threat.” French officers also visited a US Coast Guard Cutter in Bahrain.
FDD put out a tweet about the visit as well. Kurilla then went to Egypt and met his Egyptian colleague, the Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff. The important meetings are one of several trips Kurilla has made to Israel.
Previous visits.
Following the visit, an operational and intelligence panel was held by the IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Aviv Kohavi, on the IDF’s activity to prevent harmful activities on the Syrian front.
In November 2022 Kurilla came to Israel and the IDF put out the following; “”Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General ( * * * * ) Michael “Erik” Kurilla, visited the IDF. This is General Kurilla’s fourth visit since entering the position in April of 2022. The visit began with a tour of the Rosh HaNikra post, located near the Blue Line. The General was accompanied by the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, MG Ori Gordin, who held a briefing on the challenges of the Lebanese front, the Hezbollah terrorist army’s activities and its cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians, and the strategic importance of maintaining the security along Israel’s maritime border with Lebanon. From there, the commanders toured the Blue Line and visited the Mitzpe Shlagim post, located on the Alpha Line. There, the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command held a briefing on the IDF’s efforts to prevent the entrenchment of Iranian terrorist proxies in Syria and the recruitment of local residents to carry out hostile actions. Following the visit, an operational and intelligence panel was held by the IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Aviv Kohavi, on the IDF’s activity to prevent harmful activities on the Syrian front. Participating in the panel were the Head of the Operations Directorate (J3), MG Oded Basiuk, the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, MG Ori Gordin, the Head of the Strategic Planning and Cooperation Directorate (J5), Maj. Gen. Tal Kelman, and the Defense Attaché to the U.S., MG Hidai Zilberman. Afterwards, the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, accompanied General Kurilla on a visit to the Nevatim Air Force Base. There, General Kurilla visited the 116th “Lions of the South” Squadron, which operates F-35i “Adir” aircraft. The General was presented with past operations and future joint activities planned in the various arenas in an extended briefing with the Commanding Officer of the Nevatim Air Force Base, Brig. Gen. Gilad Keinan, and the Commander of the 116th Squadron, Col. N. The visit to the Nevatim Air Force Base concluded with an additional operational panel led by the IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Aviv Kohavi, and the Commander of CENTCOM, General ( * * * * ) Michael “Erik” Kurilla, in which the overall Middle Eastern threat assessment and the central points of the future joint force operation plan were presented. In addition, the incoming Chief of the General Staff, MG Herzi Halevi, hosted General ( * * * * ) Kurilla for an official dinner. “
Chief of the General Staff, LTG Aviv Kohavi: “I would like to express my great appreciation for our close cooperation with the U.S. Armed Forces. Our mutual commitment is demonstrated on a weekly basis. We are operating together on all fronts to gather intelligence, neutralize threats, and prepare for various scenarios in either one or multiple arenas. We are training and developing joint military capabilities at an accelerated rate in the face of the developing threats in the Middle East, and against the Iranian regime in particular.”
Juniper Oak
In January during Juniper Oak, Kurilla also visited and put out a statement.
Commander of U.S. Central Command, General ( * * * * ) Michael “Erik” Kurilla:
“Our strategic partnerships in the region, to include our longstanding ironclad partnership with the IDF are critical to regional security, and stability offered through this level of partnership. The IDF maintains cutting-edge weapons systems, operates with the highest level of professionalism, and wields a first-class combat capability. Over the past five days, we have significantly improved our shared ability to respond to regional threats. The U.S. remains committed to the security of Israel and supports Israel’s qualitative military edge.”
In April Kurilla also came during a naval drill.
The Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General ( * * * * ) Michael E. Kurilla, visited the IDF once again. The focus of General Kurilla’s visit was the continued cooperation and the strengthening of relations between the IDF and CENTCOM forces on land and in the aerial and Maritime arenas.
Seth J. Frantzman - author - analyst 