A Republican senator is blocking the promotion of Lt. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, the commander of U.S. troops in the final days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, in what could be the first salvo in a Trump administration war against America’s generals.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., put a hold on Donahue’s promotion to four stars, or general, after his nomination was sent to the Armed Services Committee last week, officials said.

Sabrina Singh, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, told reporters Monday that the Defense Department was “aware” of the hold.

Donahue was the last American service member to depart Afghanistan as Taliban fighters took control Aug. 31, 2021. A decorated former Delta Force commander, Army Ranger and paratrooper with multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, he was recently selected to lead the U.S. Army’s Europe Command as the war in Ukraine heads into its fourth year.

Donahue has long been seen as a likely candidate to eventually become the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

— The New York Times