The U.S. Central Command opened a Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Israel, Oct. 17, marking the formal establishment of a main coordination hub for Gaza assistance five days after world leaders signed a U.S.-brokered plan to permanently end the war between Israel and Hamas.
The CMCC is designed to support stabilization efforts. U.S. military personnel will not deploy into Gaza but will instead help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza.
“Bringing together stakeholders who share the goal of successful stabilization in Gaza is essential for a peaceful transition,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). “Over the next two weeks, U.S. personnel will integrate representatives from partner nations, non-governmental organizations, international institutions, and the private sector as they arrive to the coordination center.”
The CMCC will also monitor implementation of the ceasefire agreement, featuring an operations floor that allows staff to assess real-time developments in Gaza. Additionally, office and meeting spaces are set up to foster collaborative planning among leaders, representatives, and staff.
Approximately 200 U.S. service members with expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics, and engineering established the CMCC under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, commander of U.S. Army Central (ARCENT).
“The team worked tirelessly to build the CMCC from the ground up,” said Cooper. “They can take great pride in knowing that they have built something that is critical to enabling the transition to civilian governance in Gaza.”
Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, CENTCOM directs and enables military operations and activities to promote stability, security, and prosperity across the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. ARCENT is the Army component under CENTCOM and is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.
The original announcement can be found here.