Chris Donahue: The Army Commander Going Viral—Career Milestones, Historic Missions & What’s Next

General Christopher T. Donahue, the four-star Army officer best known as the last American soldier to board a C-17 out of Kabul in August 2021, will relinquish command of U.S. Army Europe and Africa on 2 July, according to an Army statement confirmed Tuesday night. Service officials say Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, currently Donahue’s deputy, will assume duties on an interim basis while the Pentagon decides whether to downgrade the headquarters from a four-star to a three-star billet—part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s ongoing “less generals, more GIs” initiative. Donahue took the reins in December 2024 after a fast-rising career that included leading the 82nd Airborne Division and commanding Delta Force elements in Iraq and Afghanistan. His photo, captured through night-vision goggles as he boarded the final evacuation flight from Hamid Karzai International Airport, became an indelible image of the 20-year war’s chaotic end. Within the Army, many viewed him as a contender for Army chief of staff or even chairman of the Joint Chiefs in coming years. Instead, the 56-year-old West Point graduate will depart amid a broader shake-up of senior brass. Nearly two dozen generals and admirals have either retired or been reassigned early since Hegseth took office, and a six-month posture review could further trim American headquarters in Europe. “Some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors,” Hegseth told NATO allies last week, signaling pressure on Europeans to shoulder more of their own defense burden. The move comes at a sensitive moment. Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered its fifth year, NATO is preparing for its 75th-anniversary summit in Washington next month, and Congress is debating long-term funding for additional U.S. troop rotations on the continent. Downgrading Army Europe and Africa could complicate coordination with three combatant commands—European, Africa, and Central—while signaling a strategic shift toward the Indo-Pacific. Army insiders stress that Donahue’s exit is “not disciplinary,” noting bipartisan praise for his handling of the Kabul evacuation. Still, the timing has sparked speculation: an ongoing Pentagon re-review of the Afghanistan withdrawal, ordered by Hegseth despite multiple previous investigations, is expected to spotlight decision-making at the airport. For soldiers in Europe, the immediate question is continuity. Norrie, a decorated armor officer who previously led the 3rd Infantry Division, will inherit theater-level training missions, forward-positioned air-defense units, and a complex patchwork of multinational battlegroups stretching from Estonia to Romania. Allies are watching closely for signs of reduced U.S. commitment even as they ramp up their own spending to meet NATO’s 2 percent GDP target. Donahue has not announced his next assignment, but retirement seems likely. If so, he would conclude 34 years of service that began with a rifle platoon in Korea and peaked with oversight of two continents and more than 60,000 soldiers. His departure underscores a larger recalibration of American land forces abroad—and leaves open who will write the next chapter of the Army’s presence in Europe and Africa.