Hegset Fires Top U.S. General Who Was in Charge of Aid to Ukraine — FT
U.S. four-star General Christopher Donahue, who commands U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa, is retiring early.
According to reporters, this decision is part of a large-scale personnel shake-up currently being carried out by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth.
The general is expected to officially end his service as early as July of this year.
Christopher Donahue is a veteran of numerous combat operations and participated directly in conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
He also became known as the last American servicemember to leave Afghanistan during the 2021 evacuation of U.S. forces. Recently, the general has been actively coordinating military aid for Ukraine.
The Pentagon leadership has not yet disclosed the official reasons for the commander’s dismissal. However, defense analysts link this to criticism from the Secretary of Defense regarding the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
The department’s new leadership has launched a large-scale investigation into those events, which directly influenced the general’s fate.
This personnel change comes just two months after the dismissal of U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Randy George. Such drastic measures are causing serious concern among active-duty U.S. military personnel.
According to sources, an obvious atmosphere of uncertainty and fear has now taken hold at the Pentagon due to the constant dismissals of senior officers.
In total, over the past year and a half, the Secretary of Defense has removed or blocked the career advancement of dozens of high-ranking officials.
Among them were former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti.
General Timothy Howe, director of the U.S. National Security Agency, was also targeted in the personnel shake-up.
Despite these decisions, the dismissed generals enjoy an exceptionally high reputation within professional circles.
Sean Naylor, an expert on U.S. special operations and intelligence, spoke very highly of Donaghy’s professionalism.
“As an officer who proved himself in combat while leading the Army’s most elite units during the toughest years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Donaghy is widely respected in both special operations and conventional Army units,” Naylor noted.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
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