Gen. Chris Donahue, the last U.S. service member to leave Afghanistan in the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, is retiring from his role as the commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, according to multiple reports.
Donohue submitted his resignation letter on Tuesday after reportedly clashing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to CBS News. The four-star general becomes the latest high-ranking Pentagon official to head for the exits under Hegseth’s tenure, following the likes of Navy Secretary John Phelan, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q Brown, and former Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George.
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Donahue’s resignation is reportedly set to take effect in July, marking an end to his time leading the theater after former President Joe Biden tapped him to assume command of Army Europe and Africa in late 2024.
Donahue spent over 16 years in special operations command, then serving as director of operations of the Joint Special Operations Command. He also served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and at all levels, from airborne to ranger to light and mechanized units. The four-star general has also previously touted that he has served in combat at every rank, starting at captain.
Between serving over 20 overseas deployments, Donahue was most famously the last soldier to leave Afghanistan during Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, depicted in the iconic night-vision green photo of the evacuation in 2021. He was serving as commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps at the time.
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Over two dozen high-ranking Pentagon officials have retired or been ousted under Hegseth’s purview, Donahue being the latest. The purge has drawn scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers such as Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who have sparred with Hegseth throughout the second Trump administration.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
