The U.S. Army will have a new commander for Europe and Africa after Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., dropped his hold on Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue’s nomination. Mullin objected to Donahue due to his role in Afghanistan.
The Senate approved the general’s promotion from three to four stars Monday, Dec. 2. The hold lasted about 10 days.
Gen. Donahue is known as the last man out of Afghanistan. In 2021, he was the commanding officer of the 82nd Airborne division. The division was in charge of securing Hamid Karzai International Airport while Americans and Afghans were evacuated.
The Afghanistan withdrawal has been sharply criticized due to the casualties. Many also criticized the military of leaving $7 billion in military equipment.
Thirteen service members died in addition to 170 Afghan civilians after a suicide bomber detonated a device at the airport’s gate.
Mullin described the withdrawal as a “disaster” and called out Donahue specifically.
“You cannot sit here and tell me that that was a successful withdrawal. Don’t you think someone should be held accountable? It was an absolute disaster,” Mullin said during a Senate oversight hearing.
The Pentagon called on Mullin to drop the hold.
“His appointment comes at an extremely critical time in the European region. We urge the Senate to confirm all of our highly qualified nominees,” Pentagon spokesman James Adams told The Hill in a statement. “Holds on our nominees undermine our military readiness.”
Mark Esper, who served as defense secretary during the Trump administration, called Donahue a great pick and said the hold should be dropped ASAP. He added responsibility for the “disastrous” withdrawal from Afghanistan rests with the White House, not the Defense Department.
Accountability may be coming. NBC News reported the Trump transition team is compiling a list of officers who could be court-martialed for their involvement. To date, no one has been formally punished for their role in the withdrawal.
