Former CENTCOM Commander Michael “Erik” Kurilla Joins The Washington Institute as Its Bernstein Distinguished Fellow
Washington, D.C. — The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is pleased to announce that retired U.S. Army general and former head of U.S. Central Command Michael “Erik” Kurilla has joined the organization as its Jill and Jay Bernstein Distinguished Fellow.
With more than 35 years of exemplary military service, General Kurilla brings to the Institute unparalleled operational and strategic expertise on Middle Eastern defense issues. In recognition of his pioneering leadership throughout the multi-front war of the past two years, he received the Institute’s 2025 Scholar-Statesman Award in New York last night.
“General Kurilla’s decades of outstanding leadership give him a rare perspective on the risks and the opportunities facing the United States in the Middle East,” said Robert Satloff, the Institute’s Segal Executive Director. “We are honored to welcome him to the team and delighted to connect his fellowship with our Institute’s chairman and his wife, both prominent philanthropists who share General Kurilla’s deep commitment to security and peace in the Middle East.”
“I am honored to join such a prestigious and impactful organization,” said General Kurilla. “I look forward to working with the experts and practitioners at The Washington Institute on issues related to this strategic and critically important part of the world.”
In his final assignment in uniform, General Kurilla served as the 15th commander of U.S. Central Command from 2022 to 2025. In this post, he oversaw major combat operations, including the June 2025 U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and the U.S.-led campaign of strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. He was responsible for U.S. military engagements across twenty-one countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia during a period of enormous challenge and change, including the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist assault on Israel. He strengthened U.S. alliances and partnerships across the region, including coordinating the U.S. and regional response that defeated Iran’s two direct barrages of missiles and drones against Israel last year.
Earlier in his career, General Kurilla commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, and the 75th Ranger Regiment. He has led airborne, mechanized, Stryker, Ranger, and Special Operations units in combat and other deployments around the world.
General Kurilla was commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1988. He holds a B.S. in aerospace engineering from West Point, an M.B.A. from Regis University, and an M.S. in national security studies from the National War College.
Media Contact: Shelby Weiss, 202-230-9550, email.
About The Washington Institute: The Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution funded exclusively by U.S. citizens that seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.