The U.S. military has divided up the world into different regional commands and put a general or

admiral in charge of planning and conducting military operations in each.

For the past two and a half decades, the Middle East has been the busiest.

Nick Schifrin talks to one former commander who was in charge of the region

during an especially moment moment momentous time.

Some 70,000 U.S. troops are stationed between Egypt in the west and Pakistan in the east, known by the military

as Central Command.

It has historically been one of the most intense commands that the military has.

And in the late 2010s and early 20s, the US killed the head of the Koods Force in Baghdad,

the head of ISIS, and withdrew from Afghanistan.

And the commander of CENTCOM during that time has written a new book,

the melting point, High Command in War in the 21st century. That commander is retired general.

Frank McKenzie, he joins me here. Frank Kenzi, thanks very much. Welcome back to these here.

It's good to be with you here tonight, Nick.

You wrote about your recommendation

to Kale Kossum Suleamani, the former head of the Koods Force,

and you point out that at the time Iranian proxies were firing off

at US troops across the region and you believe that Iran felt it could act with

impunity. So take us back to that decision.

Why do you recommend the US take that shot?

This was in late December of 2019.

Cossem Salimani was entering Baghdad.

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