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Pete Hegseth pushes top general out of the Pentagon

newsJun 24, 202615407

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed four-star General Christopher "C.D." Donahue to submit his retirement, removing Donahue from a senior Pentagon post. Donahue is a widely respected special-operations veteran who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division from July 2020 to March 2022 and held senior combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Donahue clashed with Hegseth over policy and leadership, prompting the departure amid broader turmoil at the Pentagon. His exit is the latest of nearly two dozen senior officers who have left early under Hegseth, a pattern that critics say risks politicizing the military and disrupting readiness.

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