General Christopher Donahue, the commander of US Army Europe and Africa and NATO's Allied Land Command, will relinquish his post on 2 July, the US Army confirmed late on Tuesday. A career special operations officer, Donahue was the last American soldier to depart Afghanistan in 2021, a moment captured in a widely circulated night-vision photograph. His exit after just 18 months in the role is the most recent in a series of abrupt departures of senior military leaders under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Viewed from Washington, the move is part of a systematic effort by Hegseth to align the Pentagon's top ranks with President Donald Trump's priorities. According to US officials and reports in The Atlantic, the defence secretary is specifically targeting officers linked to the Afghanistan withdrawal, an operation the Trump administration has repeatedly condemned despite having initiated the withdrawal agreement with the Taliban. Donahue, whose leadership during the evacuation drew bipartisan praise, was considered a potential future chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but his promotion was blocked. Hegseth has already dismissed or forced out the Army chief of staff, the head of military intelligence, the chief of chaplains, and the US representative to NATO's military committee, among others. The Pentagon is also examining a downgrade of Donahue's four-star command to a three-star level as part of a broader restructuring that Hegseth says will cut general and admiral posts by at least 20 per cent.

In European capitals, the personnel changes are being watched alongside Hegseth's announcement of a six-month review of American forces on the continent. The defence secretary told NATO allies the review is designed to ensure Europe takes primary responsibility for its own defence, a message that echoes Trump's long-standing demands for higher defence spending by alliance members. Allied diplomats have expressed concern that the review could lead to a reduction of the US military footprint to levels not seen since before February 2022. Russian state media, meanwhile, highlighted Donahue's previous assertion that NATO possessed the capability to destroy Kaliningrad, presenting his removal as evidence of internal turmoil at the Pentagon.

Donahue's deputy, Major General Christopher Norrie, will perform the duties of the command in the interim. A potential successor, Lieutenant General Kevin Admiral, has not been formally nominated. The broader leadership overhaul is expected to continue as Hegseth implements Trump's vision for the military, while the outcome of the European posture review—and the possible merger of US European and Africa Commands—remains undecided.