Hegseth Forces Out Army Europe Commander Gen. Christopher Donahue

Army Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, relinquished his command on July 2, ending an 18-month tenure that multiple officials and sources say was cut short at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth verbally ordered Donahue's retirement shortly after the Pentagon chief fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, according to a U.S. official who spoke to The Hill. A Pentagon spokesman offered no specific justification, stating only that "general officers and flag officers serve at the pleasure of the President and the Secretary of War." ^[1][2][3]

Donahue is a West Point graduate and career special operations officer who rose through the ranks of the 75th Ranger Regiment and Delta Force before commanding the 82nd Airborne Division. On Aug. 30, 2021, he became the last U.S. service member to depart Afghanistan, a moment captured in a photograph taken through night-vision equipment showing him boarding the final C-17 cargo plane out of Kabul. As the senior Army commander in Europe, Donahue coordinated military assistance to Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion, and Pentagon officials told Fox News his involvement in that conflict made him the Army's foremost expert on drone warfare. Sources told CBS News that Donahue had been regarded as a leading candidate for Army chief of staff, but his clash with Hegseth foreclosed that path. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The command Donahue led is also under discussion for downgrade from a four-star to a three-star billet, part of Hegseth's broader push to reduce the total number of general officers across the force. Officers holding four-star rank are eligible only for positions designated at that grade, meaning a structural downgrade would itself have foreclosed a continued role for Donahue regardless of other factors. Donahue was additionally scheduled to hand over command of NATO's Allied Land Command in a July 9 ceremony in Turkey, with British Army Lt. Gen. Jez Bennett serving as acting commander until a permanent American replacement is named. ^[2][4][6]

The departure draws into relief the legal framework governing senior military removals. Under 10 U.S.C. § 152 and related provisions, four-star officers serve at the pleasure of the president and may be relieved without cause by the civilian chain of command. A Pentagon official disputed characterizations that Donahue was forced out, stating the general made the decision to retire voluntarily. Congressional critics have contested that framing. The House Armed Services Committee has advanced a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Pentagon to notify Congress in writing within five days whenever a senior military officer is removed, a transparency requirement that stops short of constraining the president's removal authority but would create a formal record. Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the chamber could consider additional "guardrails" when the NDAA reaches the Senate floor if the committee's questions go unanswered. ^[4][7][8]

Donahue's removal extends a pattern that began in the early weeks of the second Trump administration. Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown was ousted in February 2025, along with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife; Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was also fired around that time. Hegseth subsequently asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down in April, removed leaders of the Army Transportation and Training Command and Chaplain Corps, and fired Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield from her position as U.S. military representative to NATO's military committee. Donahue is among more than two dozen senior military leaders who have left or retired early under Hegseth's tenure. ^[1][3][4][9]

The bipartisan congressional reaction has been unusually direct. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) posted on X that Hegseth's decision to remove Donahue "is yet another unforced error from a Secretary leading the Pentagon with bro-culture bravado rather than restraint, humility and careful stewardship of the finest fighting force in the world." Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, told NOTUS: "I'm very scared that we're pushing out some of the best and brightest generals and up-and-coming generals and admirals in the name of whether it's trying to stop DEI or just trying to pay political retribution." Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, praised Donahue as a "very good" officer and said he could not understand why Hegseth was forcing him out. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a May statement, warned that the combined loss of George and Donahue would set back Army modernization efforts at a critical moment for integrating drone technology and artificial intelligence into ground warfare. ^{[7][9][10][11]}

Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, Donahue's deputy, will perform the duties of commanding general in an acting capacity. No permanent successor has been publicly announced. The absence of a confirmed replacement at U.S. Army Europe and Africa, a command with direct responsibility for coordinating land-force support to NATO's eastern flank, is occurring as Hegseth conducts a self-described six-month review of American force posture in Europe. An Army official told the Associated Press that the command downgrade discussions are proceeding alongside ongoing criticism from Hegseth about European allies' defense contributions. ^[1][2][3]