Adm. Alvin Holsey officially has left his post as head of US Southern Command, ending his tenure after just one year without publicly addressing the lethal boat attacks he initially oversaw off Venezuela and in the eastern Pacific. Holsey, a four-star Navy admiral, formally retired Friday at a ceremony near Miami, offering no reason for his early departure from what is usually a three-year assignment. He had raised concerns early in the mission about the legality and conduct of strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels that began in September, the New York Times reports.
Current and former government officials said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grew dissatisfied with what he saw as Holsey's reluctance to pursue traffickers aggressively and ultimately forced him out. While Holsey was the senior commander for the region, officials said the campaign was driven largely by the White House and Hegseth, with Joint Special Operations Command carrying out the operations and Holsey largely sidelined from decisions. Since early September, US Special Operations forces have struck at least 22 boats, killing 87 people, in a campaign American officials say is aimed at drug trafficking but have privately linked to pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, Holsey's Air Force deputy, becomes acting commander pending a new nomination. Holsey's departure adds to a list of at least two dozen senior officers, many of them women and people of color, who have been fired or pushed out by Hegseth this year. In an address at the ceremony, Holsey, who announced his retirement in October, did not mention the operation, per WTVJ. He called on his successor to uphold longstanding alliances in the area by supporting shared values, including democracy and the rule of law. "To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged," Holsey said.
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