A thoroughbred “special operator.” Gen. Gromadziński on the dismissal of the U.S. Army commander in Europe

We asked Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Jarosław Gromadziński of the Defence Institute to comment on the dismissal of Gen. Christopher Donahue. The two commanders worked together on several occasions, including in 2022 in Jasionka in connection with assistance to Ukraine, involving cooperation between Poland’s 18th Mechanized Division and the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, as well as in Wiesbaden, Germany, where both generals were responsible for training Ukrainian soldiers.  

A thoroughbred "special operator"

„In March 2022, Donahue was appointed commander of the U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps and briefly returned to the United States. However, already in April, he was appointed commander of SAG-U, the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine. The headquarters of that structure was located in Wiesbaden, Germany. In July of the same year, I became his deputy for the training of Ukrainian soldiers. We worked closely together there for about six months,” recounted the founder of the 18th Mechanized Division. What is his view of the American commander?

„I hold him in very high regard. He is a thoroughbred »special operator« — he comes from the special operations forces, including Delta Force — who naturally transitioned into the airborne forces. To me, he was an exceptionally no-nonsense soldier with a distinctly front-line mindset, fully focused on the task assigned to him. He favoured active operations, the ruthless elimination of bureaucracy, the simplification of procedures, and the maximum flattening of the command system,” Gen. Gromadziński told us.

Reasons for the dismissal

In our conversation with Gen. Gromadziński, we also raised the issue of the possible reasons for Gen. Donahue’s dismissal from U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The first possible reason may be political in nature. Gen. Donahue was one of the last officers in such a senior position still associated with President Joe Biden’s administration and with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021. „He became a living symbol of that era. It was his photograph, as the last American soldier boarding an aircraft and leaving Afghanistan, that went around the world,” our interlocutor recalled.

„Today, the new administration in Washington is taking a hard look at the operation in Afghanistan, because that withdrawal was one great failure. The Americans left behind such enormous quantities of military equipment that, had it been transferred at the time to NATO’s eastern flank, we would have been armed to the teeth. Because the evacuation was chaotic, disorganized, and carried out in haste, today’s Pentagon is looking for those responsible for those mistakes,” he continued. 

The second reason for the dismissal stems from the ongoing restructuring of USAREUR-AF and structural changes within the U.S. Army. It is worth recalling here that just over a decade ago, the U.S. commands for Europe and Africa operated separately.

„During Gen. Christopher Cavoli’s tenure, the European command was merged with the African command, creating the USAREUR-AF structure, and the rank of that post was raised to four stars. Today, the Americans are changing their strategy. They are building their Africa command in Morocco, because they regard that continent as an extremely important and independent theater of operations. They are therefore reconstituting the former regional commands,” Gen. Gromadziński said, noting that these changes mean the command in Wiesbaden is „returning to three stars.”  

The final reason for the change may be found in Secretary Hegseth’s decision to launch a six-month review of U.S. forces in Europe. „In the face of the deep review of NATO structures announced by Secretary Pete Hegseth, Washington’s decision to appoint a new commander — one who will unreservedly support the Pentagon’s new policy — is understandable,” Gen. Jarosław Gromadziński concluded.