The admiral in charge of U.S. forces in the Latin America and Caribbean is retiring on Friday, two years ahead of schedule after reportedly being asked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to step down and as the Trump administration turns up the pressure against Venezuela.
Adm. Alvin Holsey, who spent more than three decades in the Navy and served as the head of the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) since early November 2024, is retiring from the post, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan L. Pettus will assume duties as the acting commander of Southcom.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine presided over Friday’s ceremony at the Southcom headquarters in Doral, Fla., praising Holsey for his “amazing” leadership skills and being an “extraordinary human.”
“One of Adm. Holsey’s most significant achievements was the transformation of USSOUTHCOM into a more agile, capable and operationally present force. Under his leadership, the command expanded from roughly 3,500 personnel to nearly 15,000 personnel in direct support of operations in the region,” a press release issued Thursday by Southcom said about his retirement.
“The operational impact was immediately felt, with the expanded U.S. presence across the region, improving responsiveness and strengthening deterrence,” the command added.
Holsey’s retirement, which was announced in mid-October, less than one year after assuming the position on Nov. 7, 2024, came after he reportedly voiced concerns about the legality of the U.S. military’s lethal strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
So far, the U.S. miOn Tuesday, Holsey held a classified meeting with the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a source familiar with the meeting previously told The Hill.
Holsey’s early departure is not unique as that of Navy Adm. William Fallon,the commander of Central Command, who retired about a year into his post after making public statements about Iran and other topics that irritated the then-George W. Bush administration.
Holsey joins several other senior military officials who’ve departed the service since Hegseth took the leadership mantle at the Defense Department. Others, including former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and former Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, were fired without explanation earlier this
On Tuesday, Holsey held a classified meeting with the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a source familiar with the meeting previously told The Hill.
Holsey’s early departure is not unique as that of Navy Adm. William Fallon,the commander of Central Command, who retired about a year into his post after making public statements about Iran and other topics that irritated the then-George W. Bush administration.
Holsey joins several other senior military officials who’ve departed the service since Hegseth took the leadership mantle at the Defense Department. Others, including former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and former Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, were fired without explanation earlier this year.year.l .
THE HILL