Kurilla, known by the nickname “The Gorilla,” capped a four-decade career with his role as chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), where he directed the unprecedented June strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

He is succeeded by U.S. Navy Admiral Charles Bradford Cooper Jr., who was appointed earlier this month to take command of CENTCOM and oversee U.S. military operations across the region, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.

It remains unclear why Kurilla is stepping down now, even after earning the confidence of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the outlet reported.

At the height of tensions between Iran and Israel earlier this summer, Hegseth granted Kurilla broad operational authority and frequently deferred both decisions and public statements to him.

Kurilla’s departure comes during a period of upheaval at the Defense Department. Hegseth recently dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, after he or someone in his office was suspected of leaking an Iran damage assessment suggesting Trump’s strikes on Iran may not have fully destroyed its nuclear program. Kruse’s removal was part of a wave of firings that signaled a sharp shift inside the Pentagon.