According to reports, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin has prevented Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, a three-star commander who was instrumental in the United States’ 2021 pullout from Afghanistan, from being promoted.
The senator from Oklahoma has put the promotion on hold, according to three people who spoke to CBS News. Donahue was to lead the U.S. Army in Europe and get a promotion to four-star general.
The list of 1,000 promotions that passed the Senate Armed Services Committee this week, however, did not include the man’s name.
The Promotion Twist
Donahue was to lead the U.S. Army in Europe and get a promotion to four-star general. The list of 1,000 promotions that passed the Senate Armed Services Committee this week, however, did not include the man’s name.
Despite the Pentagon’s recommendation for Donahue’s elevation, two sources claim that Mullin is attempting to delay the decision long enough for President-Elect Donald Trump and the newly Republican-controlled Congress to have a say.
The sources claim that Donahue’s involvement in the disastrous U.S. exit from Afghanistan during Joe Biden’s administration is another factor contributing to the delay.
According to reports, a number of Army personnel and their supporters are presently trying to persuade specific senators to approve Donahue’s promotion.
In 2021, the United States evacuated over 125,000 civilians, including 6,000 Americans, and Donahue was the final American soldier to leave Afghanistan.
A suicide bomber set up an explosive outside Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul during the withdrawal, killing 13 American service members and numerous Afghan citizens.
According to reports, the U.S. officers had significantly miscalculated how quickly the Taliban would retake Kabul.
According to reports, the Pentagon, State Department, and Congress have focused on a number of the United States’ logistical and planning shortcomings.
“Insufficient” preparation, poor communication, and a failure to understand “the scale and scope of the operation” were all factors in the chaotic operation, according to a lengthy assessment submitted by the State Department.
The disastrous pullout was also said to have been a major campaign issue for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Trump may or may not be aware that the promotion is on hold.