CENTCOM CG under investigation for shoving Airman
General Michael Kurilla
Pictured is Army General Michael Kurilla. He’s the commanding general for CENTCOM, which covers operations in Southwest Asia and the Middle East. Of the unified combatant commands, it’s usually where all the action is the last few decades. As such, commanding it can be a springboard to higher command/office. Petraeus, Mattis, and Austin are among former commanders.
Kurilla’s fruit salad speaks to his having a long distinguished career. He has every single BTDT campaign medal for the last 40 years. He’s got a mustard stain on his jump wings, two CIBs, two Purple Hearts, and five BSMs (at least one for Valor). If ever there’s an officer that can command some respect, this is it.
Anyway, perhaps channeling some of his inner George S. Patton (who famously slapped at least two privates suffering “battle fatigue”), it’s alleged that Kurilla got a bit handsy with an Airman on a recent flight to the CENTCOM AOR.
One of the Pentagon’s top generals is under investigation for allegedly shoving an airman on a flight in early September, a defense official and a spokesperson for the Army Criminal Investigation Division confirmed to Military.com.
Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, who oversees U.S. Central Command, allegedly put his hands on an airman during a C-17 Globemaster III flight on a trip to Israel after becoming frustrated with access to communications and following a heated argument with the flight crew, one defense official with direct knowledge of the situation said.
“The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is aware of an alleged incident and is currently looking into it,” Mark Lunardi, a CID spokesperson, said in a statement to Military.com. “No additional information is available at this time.”
Kurilla is among the highest-profile senior officers in the Pentagon. Central Command oversees troops and operations in Asia and the Middle East, including much of the U.S. military’s role in Israel and its ongoing combat operations in Iraq and Syria.
He had not been suspended from his position as of Thursday afternoon, but officers who commit offenses that break decorum or laws are commonly suspended with pay pending the conclusion of investigations, which can take months.
Before his current role, Kurilla served as the commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps. His resume also includes commanding the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment. He was commissioned into the Army as an infantry officer in 1988.
During his career, Kurilla has been awarded the Bronze Star for valor and two Purple Hearts. He’s a veteran of the U.S. invasion of Panama, the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The news comes as Army Gen. Charles Hamilton, who as head of Army Materiel Command oversaw much of the service’s logistics operations, remains suspended following a Military.com investigation that found he may have subverted the Army’s selection process for its senior commanders, improperly propping up a subordinate officer otherwise deemed unfit for command.
Whether Hamilton is outright fired is now in the hands of Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. If he’s terminated, he would be the first Army 4-star fired from their position in a decade.
We’ll monitor the story if/when there are developments.
Category: Army, Dick Stepping, WTF?
Hmmm.. An officer that can’t control their temper, or another attempt to purge an effective and competent officer from the ranks so he can be replaces with a political lackey.. time will tell…
Yep…maybe time will tell, ’cause we shorely can’t tell from the (lack of) info in the article. Could also be a case of a Chair Force Member of the E-4 mafia trying to earn his/her/their(?) bones.
Very true!
CID interview?
Shit Show
Nobody dint see nuthin.
Interfering with a flight crew? Sounds like he is getting ready to be told it’s not his aircraft, and to stay in his lane.
Wasn’t there, can’t say what happened.
The time I was there, when a LTC PA told a medic he was stupid for nearly killing GSW casualty and shoved him out of the way, they relieved him, even after the PA saved the patient’s life. I thought that was the dumbest thing I’d ever seen. Honestly thought the medic should have been disciplined. I know if it were me laying on the table I sure as hell would have been glad he did that.
Well now, you can’t hurt the medic’s feelings. He/she/it deserves their trophy too.
I can’t wait to hear all the details of this kerfluffle. However… I’ve been around long enough to know that ain’t ever gonna happen. Kinda sounds like somebody confused their rank with the aircrew’s authority. I don’t care how many stars you’re wearing, you’re a mere passenger on that aircraft.
Combatant Commander…in his AOR…access to communications? That is a little different than respect the aircrew authority.
I’m gonna go out on a limb as a career Signal weenie and guess that there was probably some kind of comm outage and the General ran up the ass of some E4 operator that was busting his ass to get comms up. Pure speculation, but I’ve seen this movie. Too many times.
Word.
Agreed. We will never hear the whole story. Was he demanding instant access, or was he told to wait, you’ll get your chance when we’re through doing what we’re doing.
The Progs gotta get rid of him cuz he has toxic masculinity. Kurilla is a killer of Slamonazis even when wounded. I’ve seen Michael Yon’s video of that shootout in Iraq. I would follow that man into any gunfight.
Impressive fight, and heroic action by both him and his CSM.
100% agreement from me.
He was my platoon leader when I first joined the Army in the 75th. Phenomenal leader and cannot imagine this happened knowing his personality, or at least as it is being perceived. I saw him under the most stressful of situations, at his youngest and most inexperienced and he never once acted out of character for a professional officer.
I think (and hope) this is BS. He is one of the good ones.
I called it “Rarefied Air” when I was in. When a SNCO or officer gets to those higher ranks that nobody around them dares to tell them “no” anymore, that quite often those critical thinking skills become dulled.
Perhaps this was a heated moment that was out of character for the Gen, or perhaps it wasn’t.
It will be interesting to (possibly) hear what led up to this kerfluffle.
Was the airman (airman = private, known to do Stoopid Shit from time to time) about to do something dangerous, and the General stopped him/her/it?
OR…..
Was the General trying to exercise Rank Privilege over a subordinate?
With this administration, “the world may never know.”
This should be interesting when, and if, we get an entire account of actual events as they transpired…
You don’t get that ribbon rack by being incapable of acting professionally under stress…that said we all know those certain E3/E4 jagoffs who absolutely have the ability to irritate someone to the point of choking the shit out of them…and we all know those General Officers who get to the Puzzle Palace and leave their good sense and appropriate conduct behind.
Let the Kurilla investigation play out. I suspect it will determine someone got a little too hot and someone else whined after exaggerating what happened.
Regarding the other knucklehead in the article (Hamilton), that idiot needs to be fired for attempting to subvert the (relatively) new (and IMO very effective) command assessment program. His efforts both exemplify what is bad with GOs and risks ruining all the trust in the program. Fire him and do so very publicly. Not for “lost trust and confidence” but for “inappropriately wielding his influence to attempt to subvert and undermine the command assessment program on behalf of an undeserving subordinate” or similar words as appropriate from the investigation.
Read somewhere- maybe it was Chickehawk? When GEN Westmoreland wanted to fly in-theatre, he would boot all the other passengers of the plane so he and his entourage would have it all to themselves.
As CG in RVN I would assume that Westmoreland had a dedicated transport available 24/7; he wouldn’t have needed to boot anybody off HIS plane.
I think it was turbulence in the air. He probably pushed him accidentally. That should be the generals story.
I’d like to hear the general’s recollection of the incident. That whole chain of command is reciprocating, at least to my mind.
So many questions. First, why did he need a C-17? The AF and even the Army has VIP transport aircraft capable of intercontinental flight, and cheaper to operate. I am sure that as CENTCOM commander he has one at his beck and call, equipped with extra communications equipment.