Tillis Warns Hegseth Against Cutting Army Europe-Africa to 3 Stars

5 articles · Updated · Newsweek · May 16

Sen. Thom Tillis publicly warned Pete Hegseth against reported plans to sideline Gen. Chris Donahue by downgrading U.S. Army Europe-Africa from a four-star to a three-star command.
The warning followed reports that a Pentagon restructuring would fold European, Central and Africa commands under a new U.S. International Command, effectively reducing Donahue’s post.
Tillis called Donahue “one of our nation’s finest warfighters,” citing more than 20 deployments and accusing Hegseth of making impulsive decisions that disrespect allies and military professionals.
Hegseth has already ousted about a dozen senior officers since taking over the Pentagon, fueling rare Republican criticism of the Trump administration’s military shake-up.
The dispute lands amid a broader overhaul of the U.S. footprint in Europe, where tensions with NATO have risen during the war with Iran and arguments over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Can a sweeping leadership change improve military focus without harming its readiness during wartime?

How will merging three combatant commands affect the U.S. military's response time to global crises?

Does the new command structure create vulnerabilities in Europe while pivoting to face China?