Gen. Chris Donahue, the four-star officer who commanded U.S. Army Europe and Africa and who became an iconic figure as the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, has submitted his retirement papers, marking the latest high-profile military departure under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Donahue will relinquish command on July 2, with his deputy, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, stepping in to perform the duties of commanding general. A separate ceremony on July 9 in Turkey will transfer Donahue's NATO Allied Land Command responsibilities to British Army Lt. Gen. Jez Bennett, who will serve as acting commander until another American officer fills the three-star role, CBS News reported.
The Army issued a terse statement: "The Army thanks Gen. Donahue for his leadership of U.S. Army Europe and Africa." No permanent replacement has been named for either position.
Donahue's résumé reads like a highlight reel of the post-9/11 military. A West Point graduate, he commanded Delta Force and later the 82nd Airborne Division. In August 2021, he helped lead security for the chaotic evacuation of Kabul. A now-famous night-vision photograph captured him boarding a C-17 cargo plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30, 2021, the last American soldier on Afghan soil.
The following year, Donahue was among the first senior U.S. officers on the ground in Europe after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Colleagues credit him with advising Ukrainian forces and helping them survive the war's first year. He was promoted to four-star rank in December 2024 and was long considered a future Army chief of staff.
Brett McGurk, who served as special presidential envoy to the counter-Islamic State coalition during the Obama and first Trump administrations, told CBS News:
"There are few people more responsible for the defeat of ISIS than Chris Donohue. He is among the most consequential commanders of his generation."
Retired Army Gen. Tony Thomas, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, was blunter: "Generational leader. One of the best ever."
An unnamed colleague described Donahue as "unequivocally one of our Nation's best" and a "bold, innovative leader who could also relate to and was respected by both the most experienced special operations [non-commissioned officers] and ordinary soldiers."
CBS News reported that Donahue "had earned the ire of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth," citing multiple sources. The nature of that friction remains unclear, no specific actions or statements by Donahue were identified as the cause. Two U.S. officials confirmed the pair met in person only once, in February 2025, at Powidz, Poland.
Whether Donahue's retirement was voluntary or the result of pressure has not been publicly established. What is clear is the pattern. Since President Trump's return to office, the Pentagon's senior ranks have experienced a sweeping turnover that goes well beyond normal rotations.
Hegseth has faced scrutiny from multiple directions during his tenure. House Democrats filed impeachment articles against him in an effort that had no realistic path to passage, while members of his own party have pressed him on spending and war powers.
Donahue's exit adds to a list of at least eight named senior officers who have departed or been removed. In February 2025 alone, the administration ousted Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was fired shortly before those moves.
In April, Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, the Army's top uniformed officer, to step down. That same month, Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield was removed from her post as the U.S. military representative to NATO's military committee. Army officers leading Transportation Command, Training Command, and the Chaplain Corps were also relieved of their roles.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who headed U.S. Southern Command, retired at the end of last year. Gen. Dan Caine now serves as Joint Chiefs chairman.
The scale of the turnover has drawn attention on Capitol Hill, where Republicans pressed Hegseth in contentious hearings on Pentagon funding and broader defense policy. Internal disagreements have surfaced publicly as well, Hegseth publicly broke with the acting Navy secretary over a Taiwan arms sale pause during the Iran conflict.
A separate wrinkle complicates Donahue's departure. Under 10 U.S.C. § 1370, an officer promoted to four-star rank must serve at least three years at that grade to retire with four stars. Donahue received his fourth star in December 2024, far short of the three-year threshold.
Two sources told CBS News that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine is among those working to secure a presidential waiver so Donahue can retire at his current rank. Whether that request has been formally submitted, let alone approved, remains unknown.
The waiver question matters beyond symbolism. It determines Donahue's retirement pay and benefits, and it sends a signal to every ambitious officer watching from below about what awaits decorated leaders who fall out of favor.
Donahue's departure comes at a moment when the U.S. military posture in Europe carries real weight. Russia's war in Ukraine grinds on. NATO allies are recalibrating their defense spending. And the officer who helped Ukraine survive its first year under Russian assault is now headed for the exit.
Col. Martin O'Donnell, a spokesperson for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, confirmed the July 9 handover ceremony in Turkey. Bennett, the British deputy commander, will hold the fort at NATO Allied Land Command until Washington assigns a permanent American replacement.
That interim arrangement means a non-American officer will temporarily lead a command traditionally held by a U.S. three-star general, a detail NATO allies will note.
Hegseth, meanwhile, has continued a busy operational tempo. He recently visited Guantanamo Bay and told troops to prepare for "any possible contingency" on Cuba, signaling the administration's focus on Western Hemisphere security even as European command slots sit vacant or in transition.
Several critical details remain unresolved. No one has publicly explained what Donahue did to draw Hegseth's displeasure. No permanent successor has been announced for either the U.S. Army Europe and Africa command or the NATO Allied Land Command billet. And the presidential waiver for Donahue's four-star retirement hangs in limbo.
The broader question is whether this pace of senior leadership turnover strengthens or weakens the force. Supporters of the administration's approach argue that civilian control of the military demands accountability and fresh leadership aligned with the commander-in-chief's priorities. Critics, including some who have focused more on personal controversies around Hegseth than on policy substance, worry about institutional knowledge walking out the door.
A civilian administration has every right to choose its generals. That authority is foundational. But rights and wisdom are not the same thing, and the public deserves a clear explanation when a decorated combat leader with Donahue's record is shown the door, or chooses it himself, after a single meeting with the man running the Pentagon.
Accountability runs in both directions. If the Pentagon expects it from its generals, taxpayers can expect it from the Pentagon.