Famed 'last soldier out of Afghanistan', top US Army general resigns amid Hegseth's Pentagon purge
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Famed 'last soldier out of Afghanistan', top US Army general resigns amid Hegseth's Pentagon purge")
Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the US Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 30, 2021. Photograph: (AFP (File Photo)
Donahue's exit comes as the Trump administration continues a wider reshuffle of senior military leadership under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Since returning to the office last year, Trump has seen a number of top military officers leave their posts or be removed.
General Chris Donahue, known as the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan during the US withdrawal in 2021, will step down from his role as commander of US Army forces in Europe and Africa next month.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said Donahue "will relinquish command on July 2, 2026," but did not provide a reason for his departure after serving just 18 months in the position.
His deputy will take over responsibilities until a replacement is named. Smith said, "The Army thanks Gen. Donahue for his leadership of US Army Europe and Africa."
A graduate of West Point, Donahue was commissioned as an Army officer in 1992. He became widely known as the final US service member to board the last evacuation flight from Kabul as the United States ended its two-decade military presence in Afghanistan in 2021.
During his military career, he led the 82nd Airborne Division and later commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps before assuming his current post in December 2024.
According to ABC News, another US official said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had been preparing to reduce Donahue's command from a four-star position to a three-star role, lowering its authority and responsibilities.
Trending Stories
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
Before this development, Donahue had been viewed as a strong candidate for future senior positions, including Army chief of staff and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because of his extensive operational experience.
The Washington Post described the move as the "latest apparent casualty in Hegseth’s purge of senior military leaders" involving officers considered insufficiently loyal to the Trump administration or criticised as "woke" because of previous support for diversity initiatives.
Donahue's exit comes amid Pentagon leadership shakeup
Donahue's departure comes amid a broader shakeup of senior military leadership under President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has overseen the removal or departure of several senior officers.
Among them was General Charles "CQ" Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was dismissed in February 2025 without a public explanation.
Other high-ranking officers who have left their positions include the heads of the Army, Navy and Coast Guard, the leader of the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO and three senior military lawyers.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained that the administration is selecting the military leaders it wants. However, Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern that the traditionally nonpartisan military could become increasingly politicised.
Last year, Hegseth ordered a reduction of at least 20 per cent in active duty four-star generals and admirals, along with a 10 per cent cut in the overall number of general and flag officers across the armed forces.
