U.S. soldiers fire their M1A2 Abrams tank in a defensive lane during the U.S. Army Europe and Africa International Tank Challenge at Grafenwoehr Training Area on Feb. 13, 2025. Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, says the Army's command-and-control system in Europe offers a model that should be followed in other places. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. Army in Europe has established a command-and-control capability with allies that could deliver a big battlefield advantage if it’s integrated worldwide, a top U.S. commander said.
Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said the race to harness live data will determine “who wins the next war.” USAREUR-AF has made headway on that front, he said.
“With this successful command-and-control system established in Europe, it must be rapidly scaled and connected globally, ready to meet any threat,” Donahue wrote in an essay Friday asserting that the Army mission in Europe is at the center of global deterrence efforts.
In Europe, Donahue said, USAREUR-AF and NATO ground forces are now able to integrate allied sensors, data and artificial intelligence-powered machine learning tools into decision-making.
A red light illuminates U.S. soldiers during a nighttime reconnaissance exercise near Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 14, 2025. "We must rise to the challenge of establishing global deterrence, and it has already started on the battlefields of Europe,” Gen. Christopher Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, wrote in a recent essay. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
“This is not a projected capability or an operational needs statement to inform future investment,” Donahue wrote. “This is what we are doing today.”
The setup enables troops in Donahue’s command to accelerate how it targets enemies, enabling soldiers to be “first to fire,” he said.
The four-star commander’s comments come as the Defense Department carries out a force posture review that is assessing whether troops overseas are positioned in the right places.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander Gen. Christopher Donahue speaks at a ceremony June 5, 2025, in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France. Donahue recently said USAREUR-AF and NATO ground forces are now able to integrate allied sensors, data and machine learning tools into command-and-control decision-making. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Top Pentagon officials have said the highest priority is countering China in the Asia-Pacific, which has raised questions about whether U.S. forces in Europe need to be shifted elsewhere.
Several officials now working in key Pentagon jobs, such as Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, have long argued that the U.S. should reduce its presence in Europe to better deal with China.
Donahue, whose essay was published by the Association for the U.S. Army after his appearance at that organization last week, has said he is confident that troop levels in Europe will hold steady.
Spc. Farouk Muhieddine, an infantryman with 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, remotely pilots a loitering munition during a NATO exercise at Hohenfels, Germany, on Feb. 3, 2025. U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander Gen. Christopher Donahue wrote a recent essay that links the service’s mission in Europe to global security. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
When it comes to countering Russia and China, the threats are linked, Donahue wrote.
“The threat we face fights globally, so we must rise to the challenge of establishing global deterrence, and it has already started on the battlefields of Europe,” Donahue said.
He said the harnessing of live data in command and control is akin to technological breakthroughs of past conflicts, such as radio-enabled command and control, which powered the German blitz that overwhelmed French forces in World War II.
“Europe now offers the ideal conditions to build a lethal force equal to the threats posed by China, Russia or any future adversary,” said Donahue, adding that Europe is the “premier battle laboratory.”
