Meet General ‘Gorilla': Iran hawk has become Hegseth's go-to adviser as US involvement in Middle East crisis intensifies
The chief of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Erik Kurilla, has emerged as an influential voice on the Middle East who is said to have the ear of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the administration considers significant U.S. intervention in Iran.
Officials have noted that almost all of his requests have received the green light, such as more aircraft carriers and fighter planes in the area, according to Politico. Kurilla is said to have played a large role in giving advice on what the U.S. response to the rising tensions between Iran and Israel should be.
Known as 'The Gorilla,' Kurilla has overruled top Pentagon officials and has been a decisive voice on the next actions on Iran, people familiar with the dynamic tell the outlet.
Hegseth has reportedly deferred to Kurilla even as the secretary has attempted to project an image as a tough leader who has pushed to reduce the influence of four-star generals and increase civilian control.
A former official told Politico that 'If the senior military guys come across as tough and warfighters, Hegseth is easily persuaded to their point of view.'
The official added that the general 'has been very good at getting what he wants.'
Former Trump Pentagon official Dan Caldwell appeared on the Breaking Points program on Monday, when he said Kurilla 'takes a fundamentally different view of the importance of the Middle East than a lot of other people in the administration. And he also, I think, believes that a military campaign against Iran will not be as costly as others.'
'I don't think it's a coincidence you see a lot of the pressure ramping up to do something prior to his retirement time,' said Caldwell.
People familiar with the general told HuffPost that he's particularly close to Israel, more so than other U.S. officials.
'He had better information about what they were up to and what they were seeing in their intelligence before we got it than anyone else in our government,' a former official told the outlet.
One of the people who spoke to Politico said the military official, who's close to former National Security Adviser and U.N. ambassador nominee Mike Waltz, has met with President Donald Trump more than most other generals. Kurilla is coming to the end of his time heading U.S. Central Command, and as such, some believe he may be less concerned about any consequences from advocating for his views.
Four people told the outlet that Kurilla's argument for sending more weapons to the region came up against the opposing views of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby. They have argued for caution against overcommitting to the region.
U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, is the Pentagon's top military command in the Middle East.
'CENTCOM is trying to grab every asset they can from every other theater,' a person familiar with the situation told Politico. 'That's what CENTCOM always does.'
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the outlet that Hegseth makes use of officials' knowledge and then decides what to recommend to Trump. 'Secretary Hegseth empowers all of his combatant commanders the same way, by decentralizing command and harnessing their real-world expertise,' said Parnell. 'Our senior leaders are in lockstep and will continue to work in unison to deliver on President Trump's national security agenda.'
One defense official rejected the notion that Caine and Kurilla disagree on significant issues.
The official said there's 'Absolutely no daylight between Kurilla and Caine. It's a hand-in-glove relationship.'
They added that the two commanders present options to the president together.
Kurilla reportedly has more influence than has been commonplace during other administrations. Generals tend to be restricted in their influence by Pentagon chiefs, who at times reject requests to achieve a balance in U.S. troops stationed around the world. However, one person familiar told Politico that they had never seen Hegseth reject a request from Kurilla.
Two defense officials noted that the Pentagon directed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East this week, in addition to new deployments of fighter planes, including F-22s, F-35s, and F-16s. This means that the U.S. has had two aircraft carriers in the area on two separate occasions this year.
It removes such assets from the Pacific even as Pentagon leaders have attempted to shift focus to China.
Kurilla appeared on Capitol Hill last week to testify before Congress, saying that he had prepared a 'wide range of options' for Hegseth and Trump to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
However, former officials told the outlet that Kurilla's expansive influence is due to the nature of his post as the top military leader of the command overseeing the Middle East.
Bilal Saab served in the Pentagon during Trump's first stint in the White House, telling Politico that 'This has little to do with Kurilla himself.'
'There's no resistance in the Pentagon or the NSC to moving assets to protect troops and personnel in the region,' said Saab.
Dan Shapiro served as the top Middle East policy official at the Pentagon until January. He told Politico that Kurilla is 'extremely strategic and persuasive about what CENTCOM can do given adequate resources.'
'That was certainly true in the Biden administration. It may be more true now,' he added.
'He's got the look of the general that both Hegseth and Trump are looking for,' a former official told the outlet. 'He's a big dude, he's jacked, he's exactly this 'lethality' look they're going for.'
From Elk River, Minnesota, Kurilla attended West Point and was commissioned into the infantry in 1988. He has led deployments in Panama, Iraq, Haiti, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, according to Central Command, which he has led since April 2022. He has two daughters with his wife, Mary Paige.
Kurilla was the subject of an Army investigation after he allegedly shoved a military crew member, but his courage has also impressed top officials. He was awarded a Bronze Star after leading U.S. troops in a 2005 firefight during the Iraq War, even after being shot three times.
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Reuters
7 minutes ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Israel seeks swift action on Iran, sources say, with a split U.S. administration
WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM, June 21 (Reuters) - Israeli officials have told the Trump administration they do not want to wait two weeks for Iran to reach a deal to dismantle key parts of its nuclear program and Israel could act alone before the deadline is up, two sources said, amid a continuing debate on Trump's team about whether the U.S. should get involved. The two sources familiar with the matter said Israel had communicated their concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what they described as a tense phone call. The Israeli officials said they do not want to wait the two weeks that U.S. President Donald Trump presented on Thursday as a deadline for deciding whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Israeli participants on the call included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir, according to a security source. The Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordow, the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear program, said the sources. The United States is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain. Reuters reported on Saturday that the United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, reinforcing the possibility that the U.S. could participate directly in an attack. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground, such as the one at Fordow. A person in Washington familiar with the matter said Israel has communicated to the U.S. administration that it believes Trump's window of up to two weeks is too long and that more urgent action is needed. The person did not say whether the Israelis made that point during the high-level call. During the call, Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying the United States shouldn't be directly involved and suggesting that the Israelis were going to drag the country into war, said the sources. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also participated in the call, said a security source. Reuters could not determine who else took part in the call. The Jerusalem Post reported earlier that a phone call had taken place on Thursday. The prospect of a U.S. strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought Trump to power, with some prominent members of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war. Vance has frequently criticized past U.S. involvement in conflicts, including Iraq and Afghanistan, but has lately defended Trump against Republican critics who urge the administration to stay out of the Iran conflict. Other Republicans, including Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have said they hope Trump will help Israel finish destroying Iran's nuclear program. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to keep the U.S. out of what he called "stupid" foreign wars, has himself seemed conflicted at times about whether to join the Israeli attack on Iran or focus on diplomatic efforts to end Tehran's nuclear program. But his rhetoric in recent days has become increasingly aggressive toward Iran. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. The White House declined to comment for this story. The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond. Publicly, Netanyahu has not ruled out Israel attacking Fordow alone, though officials have not provided any details on how that would be achieved. 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Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Trump deploys B-2 stealth bombers as he considers striking Iran
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The Independent
38 minutes ago
- The Independent
Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30 million from US for aid distribution in Gaza
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