General Christopher Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa, is unexpectedly stepping down after only 18 months, the Army confirmed late Tuesday.
Donahue, famously the last American soldier to depart Afghanistan in 2021, will relinquish his command on July 2. His departure marks the latest in a series of nearly two dozen top military leaders who have either retired or left their positions early under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who advocates for “less generals, more GIs” in an effort to streamline the military’s senior ranks.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, Donahue’s deputy, will assume his duties in the interim. A distinguished West Point graduate and career special operations commander, Donahue previously led Delta Force units in Iraq and Afghanistan before commanding the 82nd Airborne Division from July 2020 to March 2022.
During this period, he was responsible for security at Hamid Karzai International Airport amidst the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. On August 30, 2021, Donahue became the final US soldier to leave the country, concluding nearly two decades of war that began after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The moment was immortalized in an iconic night-vision photograph showing him boarding the last C-17 cargo plane.
The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, an operation initiated by a treaty negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration in its first term, has been a consistent political flashpoint and the subject of a new Pentagon review by Hegseth.
Despite multiple prior examinations by various government bodies, Hegseth ordered a fresh inquiry last May. Donahue’s leadership during the evacuation, however, garnered bipartisan praise, and he was widely considered a potential future leader of the Army or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
An Army official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, indicated that Donahue’s departure coincides with internal discussions about downgrading the US Army Europe and Africa Command from a four-star to a three-star position.
This potential change comes amid ongoing criticism from Hegseth regarding European allies. Last week, Hegseth informed NATO allies that he would initiate a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe, designed “to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe.” He added, “It’s a review that some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors.”
The Pentagon has not yet commented on Donahue’s departure, which was initially reported by The Atlantic.
