Top U.S. Army Commander In Europe To Retire After Pentagon Shakeup

The Pentagon is preparing for another senior military departure as Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa, is set to retire from the Army.

Donahue, who also serves as commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command, will step down July 2 after roughly 18 months in the role, Fox News confirmed.

The Army said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, Donahue’s deputy, will assume command responsibilities after his departure.

According to Fox News, Donahue submitted his retirement paperwork at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

His exit makes him the latest senior officer to leave the Pentagon as Hegseth works to reduce the number of top-ranking officers and redirect more resources toward enlisted service members.

“The Army thanks Gen. Donahue for his leadership of U.S. Army Europe and Africa,” the Army said in a statement.

Donahue is best known to many Americans as the last U.S. service member to leave Afghanistan during the chaotic August 2021 withdrawal.

A widely circulated night-vision image showed him boarding a C-17 transport aircraft moments before the final American departure from Hamid Karzai International Airport.

At the time, Donahue commanded the 82nd Airborne Division and oversaw security operations at the airport during the evacuation.

The ISIS-K suicide bombing at Abbey Gate, which killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians, occurred in an area secured by Marine forces rather than troops under Donahue’s direct command.

Although the Biden administration came under fierce criticism for the withdrawal, Donahue received bipartisan praise for helping oversee an evacuation that airlifted approximately 124,000 people out of Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned former President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal, pointing to it as one of the most damaging foreign policy failures of Biden’s presidency.

In May, Hegseth ordered a new review of the Afghanistan evacuation, despite earlier investigations conducted by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the State Department, and Congress.

Donahue, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, spent much of his career in Army special operations.

He commanded Delta Force units in Iraq and Afghanistan before leading the 82nd Airborne Division from July 2020 through March 2022.

Biden nominated Donahue in December 2024 to lead U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

During his time in Europe, Donahue helped coordinate military assistance to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.

Officials told Fox News that his work supporting Ukraine made him one of the Army’s leading experts on drone warfare.

Inside military circles, Donahue was widely regarded as one of the Army’s most experienced combat commanders and was seen as a potential future chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to The Associated Press.

His retirement comes as Army leaders are reportedly considering downgrading U.S. Army Europe and Africa from a four-star command to a three-star command.

The move also follows Hegseth’s announcement last week that the Pentagon will conduct a six-month review of America’s military posture across Europe.

“This will be a real review,” Hegseth said during a meeting with NATO officials in Brussels.

“It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe.”

“It’s a review that some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors,” he added.

Neither the Pentagon nor the Army provided additional public comment beyond the Army’s statement acknowledging Donahue’s service.

The Atlantic first reported Donahue’s planned departure, Fox News reported.

Because Donahue has not served at the four-star rank for the three years generally required under federal law, he will need a presidential waiver to retire with full four-star benefits.

For conservatives, Donahue’s retirement highlights a broader reshaping of the Pentagon under President Trump and Hegseth.

The administration has made clear that it wants a leaner senior command structure, a stronger focus on warfighting readiness, and a renewed expectation that Europe take more responsibility for its own defense.

That approach marks a sharp contrast with the Biden-era Pentagon, which critics argued became too bureaucratic, too slow-moving, and too comfortable with old assumptions about America’s role abroad.

Donahue leaves with a long combat record and a reputation as one of the Army’s most seasoned battlefield leaders.

But his departure also signals that the Trump administration is serious about changing the structure, priorities, and leadership culture inside the Department of Defense.