Gen. John Allen turns down NATO post
Marine Gen. John Allen is leaving the military in order to help his wife, Kathy, who has an autoimmune disorder.
Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan since 2011, this week announced his retirement, forfeiting his nomination as NATO supreme allied commander in Europe. Allen said he was leaving the military in order to help his wife, Kathy, who has an autoimmune disorder. The general’s nomination to the prestigious NATO post was put on hold last year after revelations that he sent hundreds of emails to Florida socialite Jill Kelley. A Pentagon investigation cleared Allen of wrongdoing in January, and his nomination was restored. President Obama thanked Allen for his service in Afghanistan and called him “one of America’s finest military leaders.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published