Reports link departure of Europe and Africa commander to wider military restructuring under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
WASHINGTON: US Army General Chris Donahue, the four-star commander of US Army Europe and Africa, is set to retire early as part of a broader overhaul of senior military leadership, according to media reports published on Tuesday.
Donahue, a decorated special forces officer, became globally known in 2021 as the last American service member to leave Afghanistan during the chaotic US withdrawal from Kabul. His reported departure now comes as the Pentagon prepares major structural changes within its command hierarchy.
According to reports, the Pentagon plans to downgrade the Europe and Africa command from a four-star billet to a three-star position, a move that appears to be tied to Donahue’s exit. ABC News reported that Lieutenant General Kevin Admiral, the current commander of the Army’s III Armored Corps, is expected to replace him in July.
Retirement comes amid wider military leadership overhaul
Donahue’s retirement follows a pattern of high-level dismissals and forced departures across the US military over the past 18 months. The restructuring has affected several top officers, including former Joint Chiefs Chairman General CQ Brown and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George.
Other senior figures removed during the ongoing shake-up include Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and National Security Agency Director General Timothy Haugh, according to US media reports.
The changes have unfolded under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has repeatedly criticised the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and previously ordered an investigation into how the operation was conducted.
Afghanistan withdrawal legacy remains part of Donahue’s public profile
Although Donahue has served in multiple elite military roles, he remains closely associated in the public eye with the final phase of the Afghanistan withdrawal. A widely circulated image of him boarding the last US aircraft out of Kabul in August 2021 became one of the defining visuals of the end of America’s 20-year war.
His departure therefore carries symbolic weight as the Pentagon continues to revisit the legacy of that withdrawal while reshaping its senior leadership.
The Pentagon has not yet issued a formal announcement on Donahue’s retirement or on any planned downgrade of the command structure. However, the reports suggest that another major change in the upper ranks of the US military is now imminent.
