General who was last US soldier out of Afghanistan suddenly steps down

Lead

General Christopher Donahue, the US Army commander who was famously the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021, is unexpectedly stepping down after just 18 months in his current post, the Army confirmed late Tuesday. Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa and commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, will relinquish command on July 2, according to an Army statement.

Coverage Comparison

The departure was first reported by The Atlantic, according to a source. The Guardian and the South China Morning Post both reported the news, relying on official Army statements. The Guardian noted that the statement was provided to the Associated Press, while the South China Morning Post included a photo credit to XVIII Airborne Corps via Reuters. Both outlets described Donahue as the last American soldier to depart Afghanistan in August 2021, and both connected his early departure to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's efforts to reduce the number of top military leaders under the mantra "less generals, more GIs."

The two reports differ slightly in their focus. The Guardian's coverage emphasized the political context, including ongoing scrutiny of the Afghanistan withdrawal by Hegseth and President Donald Trump, as well as potential changes to the command structure. The South China Morning Post's report was more straightforwardly factual, focusing on Donahue's career and the immediate circumstances of his departure.

Key Claims

General Donahue, a West Point graduate and career special operations commander, commanded Delta Force units in Iraq and Afghanistan before leading the 82nd Airborne Division from July 2020 to March 2022. During that period, he was brought in to restore security at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. On August 30, 2021, Donahue became the last US soldier to leave the country, a moment captured in an iconic photo taken through night vision goggles as he boarded the last C-17 cargo plane to depart.

His deputy, Major General Christopher Norrie, will perform his duties in the interim.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended nearly 20 years of war sparked by the September 11, 2001 attacks, was set in motion by a treaty negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration, as reported by The Guardian. Hegseth and Trump have made the chaotic withdrawal a regular "political punching bag," according to The Guardian, which also reported that Hegseth ordered a new Pentagon review of the withdrawal in May, despite multiple previous reviews by the Pentagon, US Central Command, the State Department, and Congress.

Donahue's leadership during the evacuation drew bipartisan praise, and he was widely seen within the Army as a potential candidate to lead the service or become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to The Guardian.

The Guardian also reported that the Army is discussing downgrading US Army Europe and Africa from a four-star to a three-star command, a claim confirmed by an anonymous Army official. Hegseth told NATO allies he is conducting a six-month review of US forces in Europe, designed to ensure NATO moves toward Europe taking primary responsibility for European defense, and he commented that some countries will "fail" and others will "pass with flying colors."

Perspectives

The Defense Department's perspective, as articulated by Secretary Pete Hegseth, frames the changes as part of an effort to reshape military leadership and shift more responsibility to European allies. Hegseth has said the Europe review is designed to ensure NATO moves fast and irreversibly toward Europe taking primary responsibility for European defense, and that some countries will "fail" while others will "pass with flying colors." His initiative to reduce top brass, encapsulated in the mantra "less generals, more GIs," has led to the early departure of nearly two dozen top military leaders.

No other named perspectives were present in the provided material.