Latest news with #Centcom
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump picks next heads of US forces in Europe, Middle East, Africa
President Trump has picked the next three military officers to lead U.S. forces in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Pentagon has announced. Trump is nominating Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich as commander of U.S. European Command, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to lead U.S. Central Command (Centcom) and Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson to head U.S. Africa Command. The announcements for Cooper and Anderson were made Wednesday, and Grynkewich's happened Thursday. Cooper's nomination is of note as it would be only the second time a Navy admiral would be the top U.S. military officer in the Middle East. Anderson's nomination is also historic because he would be the first Air Force general to lead U.S. forces on the African continent. Grynkewich, an Air Force fighter pilot, has extensive experience as a senior commander in the Middle East and is the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If confirmed, he would be become a four-star general and take over as the supreme allied commander of Europe. His pick was met by approval from NATO's North Atlantic Council, which said in a statement Thursday that it approved Grynkewich's nomination as supreme allied commander. Europe has become an increasingly scrutinized theater with Russia's war in Ukraine and the Trump administration's push to have NATO allies spend more of their own dollars on military defenses. The U.S. is also reportedly eying cutting American forces on the continent to focus more on China and and the U.S.-Mexico border. Grynkewich, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate in 1993, is a key aide to the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and works on guidance for the U.S. combatant commands. Prior to that role, he served as commander of Air Forces in the Middle East, working on air operations in support of Israel's conflicts with surrounding countries, and was director of operations for Centcom. Cooper, a deputy commander of Centcom, has a career serving on ships in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East region, including as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. He would replace Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer after more than three years in the role, as Centcom head. Cooper would take over at a volatile time in the region, with Israel continuing its war on Hamas in Gaza despite the U.S. push for a ceasefire deal after 20 months of conflict. The Trump administration also is in negotiations with Iran to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989, he has been the deputy at Central Command, since February 2024, playing a key role in Washington's airstrike campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. Prior to that, Cooper led naval forces in the Middle East for nearly three years, heading the Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. The job as Centcom head is of particular note because two recent leaders — former Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and former Marine Gen. Jim Mattis — later went on to serve as Pentagon chief. Anderson, meanwhile, is a pilot who has flown the KC-135 tanker, C-130 transport aircraft and the U-28A surveillance aircraft and currently serves as the director of joint force development on the Joint Staff. He also headed the task force that coordinated the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia and led Special Operations Command Africa from 2019-21, according to the Air Force. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump picks next heads of US forces in Europe, Middle East, Africa
President Trump has picked the next three military officers to lead U.S. forces in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Pentagon has announced. Trump is nominating Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich as commander of U.S. European Command (Eucom), Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to lead U.S. Central Command (Centcom) and Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson to head U.S. Africa Command (Africom). The announcements for Cooper and Anderson were made on Wednesday and on Thursday for Grynkewich. Cooper's nomination is of note as it marks only the second time that a Navy admiral would be the top U.S. military officer in the Middle East, should he be confirmed. Anderson's nomination is also historic as he would be the first Air Force general to lead U.S. forces on the African continent. Grynkewich, an Air Force fighter pilot, has extensive experience as a senior commander in the Middle East and is currently the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If confirmed, he would be become a four-star general and also take over as the supreme allied commander of Europe. His pick was met by approval from NATO's North Atlantic Council, which said in a statement Thursday that it approved Grynkewich's nomination as supreme allied commander. Europe has become an increasingly scrutinized theater with Russia's war in Ukraine and the Trump administration's push to have NATO allies spend more of their own dollars on military defenses. The U.S. is also reportedly eying cutting American forces on the continent to focus more on China and and the U.S.-Mexico border. Grynkewich, an U.S. Air Force Academy graduate in 1993, is currently a key aide to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and works on guidance for the U.S. combatant commands. Prior to that role, he served as commander of Air Forces in the Middle East, working on air operations in support of Israel's conflicts with surrounding countries, and was also director of operations for Centcom. Cooper, currently deputy commander of Centcom, has a career serving on ships in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East region, including as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. He would replace the current Centcom head Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer after more than three years in the role. Cooper would take over at a volatile time in the region, with Israel continuing its war on Hamas in Gaza despite the U.S. push for a ceasefire deal after 20 months of conflict. The Trump administration also is in negotiations with Iran to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989, he has been the deputy at Central Command, since February 2024, playing a key role in Washington's airstrike campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. Prior to that, Cooper led naval forces in the Middle East for nearly three years, heading the Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. The job as Centcom head is of particular note as two recent leaders – former Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and former Marine Gen. Jim Mattis – later went on to serve as Pentagon chief. Anderson, meanwhile, is a pilot who has flown the KC-135 tanker, C-130 transport aircraft and the U-28A surveillance aircraft and currently serves as the director of joint force development on the Joint Staff. He also headed the task force that coordinated the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia and led Special Operations Command Africa from 2019 to 2021, according to the Air Force.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US military announces detention of Islamic State leader
WASHINGTON - US military officials announced on June 4 the detention of an Islamic State group (IS) leader during international coalition operations in Iraq and Syria which also killed two other operatives. US Central Command (Centcom) wrote on X that the operations, conducted from May 21 to 27, 'served to disrupt and degrade' IS's ability to 'reconstitute, plan, organise and conduct attacks against civilians and US and partner forces in the region'. In the course of supporting six operations in the ongoing campaign, five in Iraq and one in Syria, the US military reported two IS operatives were killed, two were detained – including an IS leader – and multiple weapons were recovered. 'Operations like these underscore the commitment of Centcom, along with our allies and partners, to the enduring defeat of ISIS in the region,' Centcom Commander Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement. The operations in Iraq were carried out by Iraqi forces in the north, where IS cells have remained active and carry out sporadic attacks against Iraq's army and police. IS in 2014 declared a 'caliphate' after capturing large parts of Iraq and Syria, beginning a rule marked by atrocities. Iraqi forces backed by the international coalition defeated IS in late 2017. The group lost its last territory in Syria two years later. The group has, however, maintained a presence in Syria's north-east where it notably targets Kurdish-led forces, and in Iraq it largely carries out attacks in rural areas. About 2,500 American troops are deployed in Iraq, which now considers its security forces capable of confronting the jihadists. The US and Iraq announced in late September 2024 that the international coalition would end its decade-long military mission in federal Iraq within a year, and by September 2026 in the autonomous Kurdistan region. During his recent Gulf tour, US President Donald Trump met with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia and announced lifting sanctions on Syria. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gold Star families honored in Memorial Day ceremony in downtown Tampa
The Brief Gold Star families were honored in a ceremony at a downtown Tampa park that was built in cooperation with MacDill Air Force Base. While American flags and uniforms dominated the event, the military uniforms of other nations were also seen in the audience. Centcom's Chief of Staff, Major General Brandon Tegtmeier, delivered the main speech, telling Gold Star Families that the nation won't forget their sacrifice. TAMPA, Fla. - On Memorial Day, Americans pay tribute to their military men and women who have died serving their country all over the world. "My husband was Captain Alan Aertker, [who] was killed in a plane crash over Germany," said Jean Aertker. "We had a two-year-old daughter, and, at the time, we were stationed in England." Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Local perspective Aertker and other Gold Star families were honored in a ceremony at a downtown Tampa park that was built in cooperation with MacDill Air Force Base. While American flags and uniforms dominated the event, the military uniforms of other nations were also seen in the audience. They're from the Multinational Coordination Center at MacDill. It was formed after the 9/11 Attacks at U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East. READ: Memorial Day marks first American Legion Post 273 ceremony since reopening after hurricanes What they're saying "Whether it was General Franks in the beginning to General Kurilla today, they're still there. they're still steadfast," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Chip Diehl, who served as base commander. Centcom's Chief of Staff, Major General Brandon Tegtmeier, delivered the main speech, telling Gold Star Families that the nation won't forget their sacrifice. Tegtmeier greeted them personally and helped dedicate a wreath on a monument at the park. The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump promised peace but brings rapid increase in civilian casualties to Yemen
'I am the candidate of peace,' Donald Trump declared on the campaign trail last November. Three months into his presidency, not only is the war in Ukraine continuing and the war in Gaza restarted, but in Yemen, the number of civilian casualties caused by US bombing is rapidly and deliberately escalating. Sixty-eight were killed overnight, the Houthis said, when the US military bombed a detention centre holding African migrants in Saada, north-west Yemen, as part of a campaign against the rebel group. In the words of the US Central Command (Centcom), its purpose is to 'restore freedom of navigation' in the Red Sea and, most significantly, 'American deterrence'. Related: Trump was 'the candidate of peace'. Now he's fanning the flames of war | Mohamad Bazzi A month ago, when US bombing against the Houthis restarted, the peace-promising Trump pledged that 'the Houthi barbarians' would eventually be 'completely annihilated'. It is a highly destructive target, in line perhaps with the commitments made by Israeli leaders to 'eliminate' Hamas after 7 October, and certainly in keeping with statements from Trump's defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, that the US military must focus on 'lethality, lethality, lethality'. Photographs from Almasirah, a Houthi media organisation, showed a shattered building with bodies inside the wreckage. TV footage showed one victim calling out for his mother in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. It is not immediately obvious they were material to the Houthi war effort, in which the group has attacked merchant shipping in the Red Sea and tried to strike targets in Israel. That the Houthis have sought to fight on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza is not in dispute but what has changed is that the US military response – joint US and UK airstrikes when Joe Biden was in the White House – has escalated. The data clearly suggests that previous restraints on causing civilian casualties have been relaxed. Approximately 80 Yemeni civilians were estimated killed and 150 injured in a bombing raid on Ras Isa port on 18 April, according to the Yemen Data Project, a conflict monitor. The aim, Centcom said, was to destroy the port's ability to accept fuel, whose receipt it said was controlled by the Houthis, and, the US military added, 'not intended to harm the people of Yemen' – though the country is already devastated by 11 years of civil war. Half its 35 million people face severe food insecurity. So far, the Trump administration bombing campaign, Operation Rough Rider, is estimated to have caused more than 500 civilian casualties, of whom at least 158 were killed. Compare that with the previous campaign, Operation Poseidon Archer, which ran under Biden from January 2024 to January 2025: the Yemen Data Project counted 85 casualties, a smaller number over a longer period. Parties in war are supposed to follow international humanitarian law, following the principle of distinction between military and civilian targets, and respecting the principle of proportionality, where attacks that cause excessive civilian casualties relative to any military advantage gained are, in theory, a war crime. The clear signs from the US campaign in Yemen are that it is following a looser approach, mirroring the unprecedented level of civilian casualties in the Israel-Gaza war. It is hardly surprising, given that Hegseth has already closed the Pentagon's civilian harm mitigation office, which handled policy in the area, and the related Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, responsible for training. That could make it difficult for traditional allies to assist. Whereas the UK participated in Poseidon Archer, British involvement in the latest operation has gone from minimal to nonexistent. No air-to-air refuelling was provided in the most recent attacks, the UK Ministry of Defence said, unlike in March. In justification, Centcom says that after striking 800 targets, Houthi ballistic missile launches are down 69% since 15 March. But one figure it does not cite is that transits of cargo ships in the Red Sea during March remain at half pre-October 2023 levels, according to Lloyd's List. A broader peace in the region may prove more effective in restoring trade than an increase in demonstrative violence.
