The Senate on Monday night confirmed Army Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue as the next commander of U.S. Army Europe, ending a weeks-long controversy over the future of the last American servicemember to leave Afghanistan.
Donahue’s confirmation, which includes a promotion to a four-star rank, had been blocked for several weeks for unspecified reasons. On Monday, that hold was lifted, and Donahue was approved by a unanimous voice vote for the new role.
Numerous news outlets had reported that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., had blocked Donahue’s advancement. His office never publicly confirmed the hold, and did not release any statement on Monday regarding the Senate vote.
Donahue currently serves as the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. But he is more widely known for overseeing the final withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
As commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, he led a rapid-response force to stabilize Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and lead ground forces in the last two weeks of the war.
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On Aug. 30 of that year, he was the last American servicemember to leave the country, boarding a C-17 plane at the Kabul airport. Photos released by the Defense Department marked the moment and raised Donahue’s public profile.
Numerous Republican lawmakers — including President-elect Donald Trump — were harshly critical of the withdrawal, and have promised continued investigation into missteps surrounding the final days of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
But Donahue’s nomination was seen as largely noncontroversial until mid-November, when he was singled out for a hold amid 984 other military promotions approved by the Senate.
With Monday’s resolution, Donahue is expected to be sworn into his new role in coming days.
According to his official biography, Donahue spent several decades in the special operations community before taking command of Army Infantry School in 2017. He then served as deputy director for special operations and counterterrorism for the Joint Chiefs of Staff before becoming commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan in May 2019.
Donahue then became commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in July 2020, and later assumed command of XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in March 2022.
Reporter Todd South contributed to this story.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
