Another top general set to depart Pentagon

Administration Another top general set to depart Pentagon Comments: by Ashleigh Fields and Filip Timotija - 06/23/26 10:43 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Ashleigh Fields and Filip Timotija - 06/23/26 10:43 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, submitted his paperwork to retire after a little over a year in his position, a Pentagon official told The Hill.

The Pentagon official spoke on condition on anonymity to discuss internal military deliberations.

The shift follows months of exits from top military leaders since the start of the second Trump administration.

The 56-year-old commander was widely seen as the potential next chief of staff of the Army but a clash with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deterred his ability to climb the ranks, sources told CBS.

Donahue is regarded as the last soldier to leave Kabul, the Afghan capital, during the U.S.’s 2021 withdrawal.

Hegseth has heavily criticized the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021.

He’s a West Point graduate, with a military education that includes time at the Naval War College to the U.S. Army War College Fellowship at Harvard University, according to his biography.

Donahue is leaving as President Trump pushes to withdraw soldiers from Europe, which has raised concerns among lawmakers, and as the White House plays hardball with NATO over defense spending.

His departure follows Hegseth’s decision to ask Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down in April and Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield was fired within the same month.

The Hill has reached out to the Pentagon, U.S. Army and U.S. Army Europe for comment.