Nato General Donahue Leaves Wiesbaden After 18 Months – Tribute to Europe

Final Appearance in Tallinn

Donahue had most recently participated in Estonia in the inauguration of a new tactical headquarters to protect Nato's eastern flank. At the occasion, one of his final public appearances, he found clear words on the role of the Europeans: 'Ich muss hier niemandem sagen, dass Europa mehr Verantwortung trägt als jemals zuvor in den letzten 35 Jahren. Für mich ist klar, dass Ihr bereit seid, mehr zu tun und euren Worten Taten folgen zu lassen, und die Vereinigten Staaten werden euch dabei zur Seite stehen'. He added: 'Die Nato ist heute stärker als je zuvor'.

At the same time, the general pointed to the demands of modern warfare. 'Der Charakter des Krieges hat sich gewandelt. Die Ukraine hat uns gezeigt, wie Tempo und die Fähigkeit zum Aufwuchs und wie Echtzeitdaten nun denjenigen einen Vorteil verschaffen, die wissen, wie man dies nutzt', he said. With regard to deterrence, he further stated: 'So wird Abschreckung geschaffen - nicht mit Worten vom Rednerpult, sondern mit Stiefeln im Schlamm'.

Stations of a Soldier's Career

Donahue is regarded as an experienced officer with a remarkable career. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1992 and, according to his own account, has been deployed abroad 17 times – in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. He served as a special forces commander in Afghanistan and as Deputy Director for Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism at the US Department of Defense. US media recently viewed him as a candidate for the post of Chief of Staff of the US Army.

Donahue became internationally known through a photograph taken at night in the greenish light of a night-vision device in August 2021: it shows him in full combat gear boarding a C-17 transport aircraft at Kabul airport. At the time, he commanded the 82nd Airborne Division. US Central Command tweeted at the time: 'Der letzte amerikanische Soldat verlässt Afghanistan'. The last US aircraft took off shortly before midnight local time, ending the longest war in US history, which had lasted a total of 7,268 days following the air strikes on 7 October 2001.

Political Context of the Departure

Donahue's departure stands in the context of a sweeping personnel reshuffle at the Pentagon. Hegseth has made the fight against so-called 'woke' structures and diversity programs in the armed forces a central concern. Since taking office, numerous senior officers have been dismissed or pushed out of their positions, US media report. In 2023, Donahue publicly rejected Republican accusations – as reported by the 'New York Times' and 'Washington Post' – that the US Army was driven by a 'woke' ideology. That this may have weighed on his further career is suggested by the reports about Hegseth's personnel decisions.

A few days after Donahue's speech, a Nato summit will be held in Ankara. The proximity in timing makes the change at the top of the US Army in Europe politically visible: while the new tactical headquarters was being inaugurated in Tallinn, a personnel cut is taking place in Wiesbaden that will be discussed in the coming days.

General Donahue departs with words of appreciation for the European allies, as a summary states. Whether his successor, Christopher R. Norrie, will continue the established course of support for the eastern flank to the same degree remains to be seen in the coming weeks.