Following a brief delay, the Senate has confirmed Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue to lead the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa. Donahue, who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, will be promoted to four-star general. President Biden nominated Donahue for the position, but the confirmation was held up by a single senator before the Thanksgiving recess, according to reports.

Several news outlets identified Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as the senator responsible for the hold. Mullin has been openly critical of the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, particularly the devastating suicide bombing at Kabul's airport that claimed the lives of 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians. Donahue's 82nd Airborne was tasked with securing the Kabul airfield during the evacuations.

Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, boards a C-17 transport plane, marking the departure of the last U.S. service member from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 30, 2021. (XVIII Airborne Corps/Handout via Reuters)

In a statement released on the three-year anniversary of the bombing, Mullin criticized Donahue and other officials, stating that no one had been held accountable for the tragedy. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served under then-President-elect Trump, defended Donahue's nomination and advocated for the hold to be lifted. Esper attributed the responsibility for the withdrawal's shortcomings to the White House, not the Department of Defense or the military leaders who carried out the orders.

Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue and Polish Gen. Wojciech Marchwica address journalists at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Feb. 6, 2022. (Janek Skarzynski/AFP via Getty Images)

While Trump had previously vowed to dismiss senior officers involved in the withdrawal, Donahue wasn't specifically named. Reports surfaced that the Trump transition team was creating a list of current and former military officers for potential court-martial related to the Afghanistan pullout.

A sign displaying photos and names of the 13 service members killed in a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport is seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 9, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Ultimately, the Senate confirmed Donahue's promotion by unanimous consent after the hold was lifted. Mullin did not issue a public statement regarding the hold. Donahue, who has led the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, since 2022, previously served as the leader of the Special Operations Joint Task Force Afghanistan and deputy director for special operations and counterterrorism for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.