‘Action hero’ Army general Donahue headed for early retirement from Germany post – stripes.com

‘Action hero’ Army general Donahue headed for early retirement from Germany post  stripes.com

Gen. Christopher Donahue will step down as USAREUR-AF commander with his deputy Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie to serve as acting replacement, Army confirms. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, attends a ceremony at Sembach Kaserne, Germany, on June 18, 2026. Army officials said Wednesday that Donahue will retire July 2. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) Gen. Christopher Donahue, the head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and commander of NATO ground forces, will step down next week, an Army official confirmed Wednesday. Donahue will be replaced by his deputy, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, who will serve as USAREUR-AF’s acting commander, the official told Stars and Stripes. The Atlantic first reported Tuesday that Donahue has already put in his retirement papers.

He will leave his post July 2, the Army official said. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to questions about his retirement. The exit of Donahue, who has been in command for less than two years at his Wiesbaden headquarters, marks the latest shakeup in the military’s upper ranks. Concerns that Donahue’s career could be headed for a premature end recently attracted attention in Washington. Last month, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., issued a statement concerning “rumors” that Pentagon leadership was trying to sideline Donahue and downgrade his headquarters to a three-star command. Defense Secretary Pete