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Republican Senator Blocks Promotion of General Who Oversaw Afghanistan Withdrawal
Sen. Markwayne Mullin blocked the promotion of Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, citing accountability for the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, amid broader Republican criticism of the operation.
UNITED STATES 10.12.2021 Photo by Patrick Hunter Army Futures Command
A Republican senator has blocked the promotion of Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, who oversaw the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a source familiar with the matter. This move aligns with President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to hold officials accountable for the chaotic withdrawal that ended the 20-year war.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma obstructed Donahue’s promotion to four-star general as the commander of U.S. Army Europe-Africa. Donahue was the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan, an event captured in a now-iconic night-vision photo of him boarding a cargo flight out of Kabul airport. The image symbolized the conclusion of the war but also highlighted the tumultuous nature of the withdrawal, which included a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members.
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Trump has vowed to seek the resignation of all senior officials involved in the withdrawal, calling it a "calamity." Vice President-elect JD Vance echoed this stance, stating, “The people who screwed this up are going to suffer some consequences.”
Donahue currently commands the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. At the time of the withdrawal, he led the 82nd Airborne Division as a major general. Despite his nomination for promotion being announced by the Pentagon on November 15, his name was not included among the 984 military promotions advanced by the Senate Armed Services Committee four days later.
The Pentagon confirmed the hold on Donahue’s promotion. Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary, stated during a press briefing, “We are aware that there is a hold on Lt. Gen. Donahue,” while noting no other promotions tied to the Afghanistan withdrawal are currently held up.
In addition to his role in Afghanistan, Donahue has played a critical part in the U.S. effort to aid Ukraine. He helped establish the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine in November 2022, designed as a long-term extension of the 18th Airborne Corps’ mission to bolster NATO’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mullin has been vocal in his criticism of the Afghanistan withdrawal. On the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing, he emphasized that “not one person has been held accountable for the disaster,” naming both Donahue and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
The withdrawal continues to be a contentious issue for Republicans, despite the fact that Trump’s administration negotiated the initial agreement with the Taliban to remove U.S. forces. Both Milley and Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, had advised against the withdrawal.
CNN has reached out to Mullin for comment but has not received a response.
