US Army General Christopher Donahue was welcomed as the new head of US Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) during a change of command ceremony at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 10 December 2024.
General Darryl Williams, the outgoing USAREUR-AF commander, relinquished command of the organisation to Gen Donahue in a ceremony officiated by US Army General Christopher Cavoli, the US European Command commanding general and Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO, and US Marine Corps General Michael Langley, Commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Gen Donahue’s assumption of command of USAREUR-AF marks a return to Europe, as he previously served as the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and later the 18th Airborne Corps as they deployed to Europe as part of USAREUR-AF’s initial response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Chris is without a doubt the most experienced warfighter we have in the US Army: more than 20 deployments covering literally every single named operation – combat or otherwise – that we have been in in the last 30 years,” said Gen Cavoli at the ceremony. “In advancing peace through strength, he’s one of our finest officers. He’s intimately familiar with the war in Ukraine and he has established relationships with NATO allies in both combat and during our deterrence activities here in Europe.”
As commander of USAREUR-AF, Gen Donahue will take on the unique task of leading the army’s only service component command that campaigns on two continents. Gen Langley noted that Gen Donahue’s experience extends to Africa as well, highlighting when he deployed 18th Airborne Corps’ expeditionary headquarters to assist AFRICOM in the evacuation of US, NATO and partner citizens during Sudan’s recent crisis.
Gen Donahue takes command as USAREUR-AF leads the effort to transform formations in contact, getting capabilities into soldiers’ hands quicker than ever, which is a key focus for the US Army, even as it continues efforts to conduct NATO convergence. Gen Donahue said the combined efforts have created an “inflection point”: a position of strength for USAREUR-AF and its allies and partners.
“We have to take advantage of this. We have to exploit it,” Gen Donahue said. “We have to out-think, innovate, adapt, and work any potential adversary to make sure we have true deterrence and, if required, fight and win, as decisively and quickly as possible.”
Gen Williams, who will officially retire from the army early in 2025, praised both US and NATO soldiers for their efforts toward NATO convergence and thanked African partners for their continued and growing commitment to mutual understanding. He expressed special respect for the efforts of the Ukrainian people, who have fought against Russian aggression for nearly three years.
“I have been humbled by the sacrifice of the Ukrainian people and am grateful for the space and time they have given us to enhance our preparations to face down those who would wish to further undermine the peace and stability in Europe and beyond,” Gen Williams said. “We have not – and will not – waste this sacrifice or the hard-won lessons.”
Gen Donahue will also assume command of NATO’s Allied Land Forces Command in Izmir, Türkiye. This unique role helps facilitate deeper integration of US and NATO forces in support of NATO regional defence plans.
