Commanding general of the US Army in European and African theater is unexpectedly stepping down
The U.S. Army's commanding general of forces in Europe and Africa is stepping down after roughly a year and a half at the coveted post, Fox News has confirmed.Gen. Christopher...
By Fox News · Fox News
The U.S. Army's commanding general of forces in Europe and Africa is stepping down after roughly a year and a half at the coveted post, Fox News has confirmed. Gen. Christopher Donahue — who also leads NATO's Allied Land Command — will resign on July 2, according to a statement from the Army. Donahue submitted his retirement papers at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has sought to shrink the number of generals and prioritize adding new GI's. He is the latest military leader of more than two dozen to leave or retire early under Hegseth's leadership. Donahue's deputy, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, will take over his duties after July 2, according to the Army. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF ORDERED TO RETIRE IMMEDIATELY AS HEGSETH CONTINUES PENTAGON SHAKEUP Donahue is best known as the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan in August 2021, marking the end of America's nearly 20-year war launched after the Sept. 11 attacks. The moment he stepped onto a C-17 cargo plane was captured in an iconic photo taken through night vision goggles. At the time, he was the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and was brought in to oversee security at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic withdrawal. The Marines, not Donahue's forces, were in charge of the securing Abbey Gate at the airport, which was attacked by a member of ISIS-K in a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians. Donahue's leadership of the evacuation, which saw roughly 124,000 Afghan citizens airlifted from the country, drew praise from both Democrats and Republicans , even though the broader withdrawal strategy was criticized as rushed and haphazard. HEGSETH ORDERS PENTAGON TO LAUNCH COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW INTO 'CATASTROPHIC' 2021 AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL President Donald Trump attacked former President Joe Biden over this for years, and last May, Hegseth ordered a new investigation of the withdrawal following earlier probes of the operation by the Pen…