"This is critical to defending our forces, our partners, and our interests. It is a clear priority, one we discussed during our engagements in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem," he said.
Kurilla made the statements to Axios following a visit to the region, the site's Barak Ravid reported.
According to Axios, a senior Israeli official said that Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) told Kurilla that the Biden administration's top priority should be "strategic attention" to pushing for Israeli-Gulf air defense cooperation.
Ravid added that Kurilla visited Israel on Sunday, after making stops in both Jordan and Syria. The visit, his second in two months and his fifth to the region since taking office earlier this year, focused on Israel's air and missile defense systems, and the threat from sophisticated UAVs and ballistic missiles.
"This was not a series of powerpoint meetings in an office: we visited IDF facilities and operations centers, spoke with the men and women who make Israel’s defense systems work, and engaged in deep discussions about innovation and technology," Kurilla emphasized.
"CENTCOM's commitment to the region is ironclad," he added. "This region is at the center of America's strategic competition with Russia and China."
Iran and its proxies primarily use missile and drone attacks to threaten the US, Israeli, and Arab interests in the Middle East.
