Commanding general of the US Army in European and African theater is unexpectedly stepping down
General Christopher Donahue will relinquish his post on July 2. He was a key leader during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal
By James Cirrone Fox News
Published June 24, 2026 8:49am EDT | Updated June 24, 2026 9:06am EDT
The U.S. Army's commanding general of forces in Europe and Africa is stepping down after roughly a year and a half at the coveted post, Fox News has confirmed.
Gen. Christopher Donahue — who also leads NATO's Allied Land Command — will relinquish his command on July 2, according to a statement from the Army. Donahue's deputy, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, will take over his duties after July 2.
Donahue submitted his retirement papers at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has sought to shrink the number of generals and prioritize adding new GI's. He is the latest military leader of more than two dozen to leave or retire early under Hegseth's leadership.
"The Army thanks Gen. Donahue for his leadership of U.S. Army Europe and Africa," the Army said in a statement provided to Fox News.
Donahue is best known as the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan in August 2021, marking the end of America's nearly 20-year war launched after the Sept. 11 attacks. The moment he stepped onto a C-17 cargo plane was captured in an iconic photo taken through night vision goggles.
At the time, he was the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and was brought in to oversee security at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic withdrawal.
The Marines, not Donahue's forces, were in charge of securing Abbey Gate at the airport, which was attacked by a member of ISIS-K in a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians.
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