{"id":47918,"date":"2025-06-04T23:36:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T23:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/06\/04\/trump-names-nominees-to-take-over-middle-east-africa-commands\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:30:11","slug":"trump-names-nominees-to-take-over-middle-east-africa-commands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2025\/06\/04\/trump-names-nominees-to-take-over-middle-east-africa-commands\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump names nominees to take over Middle East, Africa commands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/04\/trumps-pick-for-va-watchdog-role-promises-independence-impartiality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/04\/trumps-pick-for-va-watchdog-role-promises-independence-impartiality\/\">President Donald Trump<\/a> is nominating Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to take over as the top U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2025\/06\/04\/uss-harry-s-truman-returns-to-us-after-months-of-battling-houthis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2025\/06\/04\/uss-harry-s-truman-returns-to-us-after-months-of-battling-houthis\/\">military commander in the Middle East<\/a>, the Pentagon said Wednesday. If he is confirmed, it would mark just the second time that a Navy admiral has held the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/03\/hegseth-orders-renaming-of-ship-named-for-gay-rights-icon-harvey-milk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/03\/hegseth-orders-renaming-of-ship-named-for-gay-rights-icon-harvey-milk\/\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> said in a statement that Trump also is nominating Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson to head U.S. Africa Command. Anderson would be the first Air Force general to lead the command, which was created in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2025\/05\/01\/hegseth-backs-air-force-three-star-grynkewich-for-top-europe-job\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2205586774.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Hegseth backs Air Force three-star Grynkewich for top Europe job<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">On the Joint Staff, Grynkewich has helped direct U.S. forces around the world in a year marked by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and China\u2019s rise.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooper is currently deputy commander of U.S. Central Command and has extensive experience serving and leading troops in the Middle East. The current head of the command, Army Gen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2024\/11\/01\/centcom-commander-allegedly-shoved-airman-on-military-flight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2024\/11\/01\/centcom-commander-allegedly-shoved-airman-on-military-flight\/\">Michael \u201cErik\u201d Kurilla<\/a>, is slated to retire after more than three years in the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a crucial role as the region has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/03\/17\/us-strikes-dozens-of-houthi-sites-in-yemen-as-broader-campaign-begins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/03\/17\/us-strikes-dozens-of-houthi-sites-in-yemen-as-broader-campaign-begins\/\">shaken by conflict<\/a>, with the Trump administration pushing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/28\/us-says-its-hit-more-than-800-targets-in-houthi-bombing-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/28\/us-says-its-hit-more-than-800-targets-in-houthi-bombing-campaign\/\">broker a ceasefire deal<\/a> after 20 months of war in Gaza and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-nuclear-supreme-leader-khamenei-008d8b020be499c91b3caf345494e379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-nuclear-supreme-leader-khamenei-008d8b020be499c91b3caf345494e379\">pressing for an agreement<\/a> with Iran in <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-nuclear-talks-analysis-israel-mideast-2cbea2d6982bd8806d7e8fa7771afc37\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-nuclear-talks-analysis-israel-mideast-2cbea2d6982bd8806d7e8fa7771afc37\">negotiations over Tehran\u2019s rapidly advancing nuclear program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Cooper commanded naval forces in the Middle East for close to three years as the head of the Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet in Bahrain. He left in February 2024 to take over as deputy at Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and is based in Tampa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army and Marine generals have largely held the Middle East job since it was created in 1983. And two of the recent leaders \u2014 former Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and former Marine Gen. Jim Mattis \u2014 went on to serve as defense secretary. Central Command covers 21 countries across central and south Asia and northeast Africa and has overseen the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Syria and Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4395\" height=\"2930\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-109275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg 4395w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25155750115510.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4395px) 100vw, 4395px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Trump is nominating Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson to head U.S. Africa Command. Here, Anderson, then-commander of the U.S. military&#8217;s special forces in Africa, speaks in Thies, Senegal, on Feb. 25, 2020. (Cheikh A.T Sy\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The only Navy officer to ever lead Central Command was Adm. William Fallon, who resigned after a year and retired. At the time, Fallon said he was stepping down due to press reports that suggested he was opposed to then-President George W. Bush\u2019s Iran policies. He said the reports were wrong but the perception had become a distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooper is a surface warfare officer and served on guided-missile cruisers, destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. He commanded a destroyer and a cruiser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his time leading the 5th Fleet, Cooper set up the Navy\u2019s first unmanned and artificial intelligence task force, and he led naval operations against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. He also oversaw the Navy\u2019s role in Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led coalition created in late 2023 to counter Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He previously served as commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic and commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea. Cooper is the son of a career Army officer and got his master\u2019s degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anderson, nominated to lead operations in Africa, is a pilot who has flown the KC-135 tanker, the C-130 transport aircraft and the U-28A surveillance aircraft used largely by special operations forces. He has flown more than 3,400 flight hours, including 738 in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He is currently serving as the director of joint force development on the Joint Staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the Air Force, he commanded a special operations squadron, an expeditionary squadron, an operations group and a special operations wing. He also led the task force that coordinated the repositioning of U.S. forces from Somalia and headed Special Operations Command, Africa, from 2019 to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Africa Command is the newest of the Pentagon\u2019s geographic commands and covers the bulk of the African continent. Much of the U.S. military\u2019s efforts there have focused on combatting extremist groups and training local forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anderson would be the seventh general to head Africa Command. To date, four of the previous leaders were Army generals and two were Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anderson is from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and graduated from the ROTC program at Washington University in St. Louis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If confirmed, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper would be the second Navy officer to lead U.S. Central Command.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":109266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,11,47,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1417],"class_list":["post-47918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4KMFZRSWWJFRPAUA4SE4R3BK54","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/06\/04\/trump-names-nominees-to-take-over-middle-east-africa-commands\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump names nominees to take over Middle East, Africa commands - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If confirmed, Vice Adm. 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