Two days after a surprise U.S. military operation bombed nuclear sites in Iran, stirring fresh anxieties about whether America was about to enter another Mideast war, the No. 2 at Central Command in Tampa sat for questions before a congressional panel.
Vice Adm. Bradley Cooper played a key role in planning and coordinating last month’s Operation Midnight Hammer, along with his boss, Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla. Cooper is poised later this summer to assume full command of CentCom, which is housed at MacDill Air Force Base and plans and directs Middle East military missions at the president’s orders.
CentCom command terms are generally three years; Kurilla took command in April 2022.
Cooper is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and went to high school in Montgomery, Alabama. He has a wife, son, daughter and several grandchildren.
At the June 24 hearing on Capitol Hill, Cooper largely dodged pointed questions from U.S. senators on what Operation Midnight Strike meant for future U.S. military involvement in Iran. But his measured responses suggest he may approach the job in much the same way as his recent predecessors.
Throughout the hearing, Cooper reiterated the scope of the CentCom commander’s role: providing a range of military options to the secretary of defense and president, then carrying out whatever they are ordered to do.
He would not answer questions on the specifics of what options CentCom offered Trump ahead of Operation Midnight Strike nor did he comment on specific Iran plans. He did offer to brief some senators on CentCom plans for Iran in a classified meeting.
“Are you working on plans to deploy troops on the ground in Iran?” asked Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
“We are working on plans every single day. I don’t think this is the forum to talk about specific plans,” Cooper said. He later added, “Our role from a military perspective is to remain ready for a wide range of contingencies.”
“So that means you’re preparing for a protracted war?” Warren asked.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on any specific action, but we’re prepared for a wide range of contingencies,” he responded.
To be confirmed as commander, Cooper will need a final vote from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Kurilla confirmation offers parallels
Current CentCom leader Kurilla’s own confirmation hearing testimony more than three years ago has proven to be a largely accurate foreshadowing of his focus during his tenure.
Kurilla emphasized the importance of collaboration with Israel, which at the time was a new “area of responsibility” for CentCom.
“There are some opportunities in an integrated air-and-missile defense, particularly with Israel, now under the CentCom area of responsibility, that they can do some partnerships in terms of increasing the capability,” Kurilla said during a March 2022 confirmation hearing.
Kurilla has since developed a military partnership with Israel — a partnership Cooper confirmed was instrumental to the bombing attack on Iran this month.
Kurilla has frequently traveled to Israel during his command. He has visited or hosted Israeli officials at least 11 times since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, according to a tally of U.S. Defense Department statements.
He has also expressed concern about Iran’s knowledge of how to create a nuclear weapon.
“You can never take away the intellectual knowledge that they have on how to increase their nuclear capability and then the reaction that Iran would have of any strike on them,” Kurilla said when asked about the military options for eliminating Iran’s nuclear capability during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Following Operation Midnight Strike, CentCom has not responded to Tampa Bay Times requests for information nor responded to interview requests about the functions of the command.
But former CentCom commander Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, who preceded Karilla in the role, said leading the organization has a limited but influential scope.
“You’re very busy. You want to make sure you give the President good advice. What you do is you give the President options so that he gets to make the decision,” said McKenzie, who now leads the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute.
McKenzie called Kurilla — who served as McKenzie’s chief of staff during McKenzie’s first year of command at CentCom — “extraordinarily talented” and said he will be sad to see him go when command turns over in a few months.
“He is a strong leader. He understands the Middle East. He understands the problem,” McKenzie said of Kurilla. “I’m sorry to see him leave, though if confirmed, his successor is going to be a very good guy as well.”
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