A highly respected four-star Army general is stepping down from his post commanding soldiers in Europe and is slated to retire as he has thus far not been nominated for a new job consistent with his rank by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, multiple sources told CNN.
Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, is relinquishing command on July 2, a US Army spokeswoman confirmed to CNN. A source familiar said Donahue’s stepping down has been in conversation for at least two months and said it was not an abrupt decision.
Donahue’s exit from the command coincides with the planned decision to lower the required rank for its chief from a four-star general to a three-star general and a series of moves by Hegseth to alter the US footprint in Europe.
Multiple sources told CNN that there has been tension between the Hegseth’s office and Donahue’s command, though not necessarily directly between the two men. Any high-profile publicity the Army received in Europe – even when generally positive or seemingly on-message with Hegseth’s priorities – “was not well received,” the second source familiar said.
Two sources familiar with the matter said Hegseth’s office has been critical of Donahue for some time. One of the sources said he has been labeled unfairly by some as an acolyte of retired Gen. Mark Milley, who has drawn intense ire from President Donald Trump, Hegseth, and some key figures in right-wing media, though the source said Donahue has retained plenty of support in the MAGA universe, particularly among those with special operations backgrounds.
