General Eric Corella assumed the leadership of the Central Command of the US Army "CENTCOM" (CENTCOM), succeeding General Frank Kenneth McKenzie, who has led it since early 2019 and his term of office ends in the spring of this year.

General Corella is the 15th commander who has assumed the duties of the Centcom Command since its establishment in 1983, as the procedures for his assumption of command were held in a military ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, where the headquarters of the Central Command is located.

Military Staff

The US military staff is divided into geographical commands and specialized commands, as there is a specialized command in the African continent, "AFRICOM", and a command covering the European continent, "EUCOM" (EUCOM).

According to the specializations, there is the Strategic Command "Stratcom" responsible for US nuclear armament, and there is the "Spacecom" command responsible for space.

CENTCOM oversees the scope of military operations in a region that includes 21 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles and Israel.

Corella will lead more than 44,000 American soldiers in the Middle East, in addition to nearly 5,000 other military personnel at headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Birth and upbringing

May 16, 1966: Corella was born in California and raised in Minnesota.

He is the son of the Infantrymen, at the US Military Academy, at West Point.

Corella holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

He received an MA from Regis University, and an MA in National Security Studies from the National War College in Washington.

General Corella is married to Mrs. Mary Page, and they have two daughters.

High combat experience

General Corella has high combat experience. His combat history began at the beginning of his service in the US Army, when he was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1988 to participate in the invasion of Panama.

Corilla participated in the paratroopers' attack during Operation Just Cause on Panama, the US invasion of Panama in December 1989 to oust its leader, General Manuel Noriega, and hand him over to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Corella also participated in Operation Desert Shield (in Saudi Arabia) 1990 and Desert Storm (to liberate Kuwait from the invasion of the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) 1991.

- The American general also participated in Operation Restoring Hope in Haiti, the war in Kosovo, and then Operation Joint Solution in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Corella also participated in the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, as well as Operation Inherent Resolve to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Finally, he participated in the Iraq war, where he was seriously wounded by bullets during an attack in the city of Mosul in 2005.

US Central Command headquarters CENTCOM (Reuters)

General Corella spent 2004-2014 commanding conventional and special operations forces in the US Central Command's area of ​​responsibility.

He also assumed the responsibilities of commanding the prestigious and prominent 82nd Parachute Division since it led the amphibious landings on the French coast of Normandy in 1944.

In addition to commanding duties as an Officer-in-Chief, General Corella held the position of Director of Operations and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Special Operations Command.

He served as deputy commander in chief of the 1st Infantry Division, deputy director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Special Operations and Counterterrorism, and chief of staff for US Central Command.

General Eric Corella, upon assuming his new position, pledged to work proactively to eliminate any threats before they develop, and he also pledged to maintain the security of Washington's allies in the Middle East.

Bronze Star

Corella was awarded the Bronze Star after he was wounded in a battle in the city of Mosul, where he was shot 3 times, but continued to fire at the attackers while his forces withdrew.

During his long military history, General Corella received dozens of military decorations and medals, including:

  • Medal for his participation in the Afghanistan war.

  • Medal for his participation in the Iraq war.

  • Korea Defense Service Medal.

  • The NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia.

  • Kuwait Liberation Medal (presented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).

  • Kuwait Liberation Medal (presented by the State of Kuwait).