One of the Army’s most seasoned and high-profile officers is abruptly leaving the service and is expected to announce his retirement as soon as Wednesday, according to a U.S. official.
Gen. Chris Donahue has spent the past 18 months leading U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the command responsible for Army operations across both continents.
Donahue is expected to relinquish his command at a change of command ceremony to be held next week, according to another U.S. official.
His departure comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presses ahead with a sweeping overhaul of the Pentagon’s senior ranks, firing or sidelining large numbers of top officers with little public explanation, including the Army’s top officer Gen. Randy George.
Gen. Chris Donahue assumed command of U.S. Army Europe and Africa in December 2024.
U.S. Army
The command Donahue now leads is also set to be downgraded from a four-star command to a three-star post, according to another U.S. official, part of Hegseth’s broader push to shrink the number of generals across the force.
Officers serving as four-star generals are only eligible to hold a position of that rank. If there are no other slots available, then the only option left for them is to retire.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, May 27, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
The Atlantic first reported Donahue’s expected departure. The Pentagon has not yet made a formal announcement.
Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral, the current commander of the Army’s III Armored Corps, is expected to be nominated to take over the role.
Donahue’s resume includes command of the Army’s elite Delta Force and the famed 82nd Airborne Division, along with extensive combat experience across two decades of war. Inside the Army, he has long been viewed as one of its top officers and a potential future Army chief of staff.
Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Donahue is the final American service member to depart Afghanistan; his departure closes the U.S. mission to evacuate American citizens, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and vulnerable Afghans.
U.S. Central Command Public Affairs/U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Alex Burnett
He rose to wider public attention as the last U.S. service member to leave Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal, photographed in night vision boarding a C-17 when he was commanding the 82nd Airborne Division.
