A senior Army general in Donald Trump’s administration has unexpectedly submitted his resignation as Pete Hegseth moves to downgrade his command and reshape the Pentagon’s upper ranks, with several top officers being pushed aside with little public explanation.
Gen. Chris Donahue, 56, is set to leave his role leading U.S. Army operations across Europe and Africa, with an announcement of his retirement expected as early as Wednesday.
Donahue is a highly decorated officer who previously led the Army’s elite Delta Force and built a record that includes roughly 20 years of combat experience. Within Army circles, he has widely been regarded as one of the service’s standout leaders and a possible future chief of staff.
He gained broader public recognition while commanding the 82nd Airborne Division during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, becoming the final American service member to depart the country in a widely circulated night-vision photo showing him boarding a C-17 aircraft.
His exit comes as Hegseth was preparing to reduce Donahue’s position from a four-star command to a three-star billet, a source told ABC News.
Such a downgrade would remove the command from the military’s highest rank tier, effectively diminishing its status, influence and institutional weight.
Because four-star generals are permitted to serve only in posts specifically authorized for that rank, the loss of a qualifying command can leave early retirement as one of the few remaining paths.
The move is said to be part of Hegseth’s wider effort to marginalize and remove senior Pentagon officials as part of a broader leadership shake-up.
Donhue is a decorated officer who commanded the Army’s elite Delta Force and the famed 82nd Airborne Division and amassed two decades of combat experience
As commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Donahue was the last American service member to leave the country, captured in a now-famous night-vision image as he boarded a C-17
The effort is apart of Hegseth’s broader plan to sideline and purge senior officials within the Pentagon
The abrupt departures and reassignments among senior Pentagon leaders under Hegseth has developed a pattern critics describe as an effort to clear out officials seen as insufficiently loyal.
The shake-up has intensified in recent weeks, with Hegseth moving against several high-ranking officers in the wake of the US military confrontation with Iran.
Hegseth routinely boasted that US forces held complete air and naval superiority over Iran, even as the regime kept control of the Strait of Hormuz for months.
Supporters cast the changes as overdue streamlining of a bloated general officer corps.
Detractors warn that sidelining experienced commanders risks hollowing out the military’s leadership at a volatile moment.
In April, Hegseth forced out Army Chief of Staff General Randy George during the Iran war, along with the Army’s chief of chaplains, Major General William Green Jr., and the head of Army Transformation and Training Command, General David Hodne.
George’s removal followed repeated clashes with Hegseth, including over the secretary’s decision to block the promotions of four Army officers
Those firings followed the ousting of more than a dozen generals and admirals since Hegseth took office, including Joint Chiefs Chairman General CQ Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti.
Hegseth’s purge of top Pentagon officials comes in the aftermath of the Iran war where US forces failed to wrestle control of the Strait of Hormuz from the Islamic regime
Donald Trump smiles with his top cabinet officials inside the Oval Office
Donahue mingles with troops in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan
The Daily Mail has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
Lieutenant General Kevin Admiral is expected to be nominated by Hegseth to take over Donaue’s role.
Donahue’s departure from leading US army operations in Europe and Africa also comes as the US prepares to withdraw military support from European NATO allies.
The Pentagon announced last week that it will conduct a six-month review of troop levels in Europe as it looks to scale back its military presence.
The goal, according to Hegseth, is aimed at shifting more of the continent’s defense onto European allies.
Along with evaluating the number of troops stationed in Europe, the Pentagon will also reduce the fighter jets, drones, warships, and submarines it keeps in the region for use in a war or crisis.
