Navy Admiral Holsey retires from SOUTHCOM as new commander takes over
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of operations includes the Caribbean waters where strikes against suspected drug boats were carried out, retired Friday as scrutiny of the attacks intensified.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who became head of Southern Command in November 2024, suddenly announced in October that he would retire from the military as operations intensify in the region, which the administration says are part of President Donald Trump’s crusade against the flow of drugs into the United States.
The Trump administration designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February, and has increased its naval assets in the region in recent months under Holsey’s leadership — including approving the unprecedented step of sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the region.
WAR DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW COUNTER-DRUG TASK GROUP UNDER TRUMP DIRECTIVE TO WRITE CARTELS
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth visits the Panama Canal April 8, 2025 in Panama City, Panama. Panama Canal Administrator Dr. Ricaurte Vasquez Morales greets Pete Hegseth. (Daniel Gonzalez/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We have worked hard and tirelessly to build relationships and understand needs throughout the region,” Holsey said during the retirement ceremony, according to a press release. “To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged.”
Holsey was commissioned in 1988 and flew SH-2F Seasprite and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters. Holsey’s previous assignments include deputy commander of Southern Command, as well as deputy chief of naval personnel and commander of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus also succeeded Holsey on Friday, having served as the command’s deputy military commander. His experience includes more than 2,700 hours as a pilot of the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Fighter and A-10 “Warthog” aircraft, and flew combat missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve, among others.
Trump unleashes American military power against the cartels. IS A WIDER WAR COMING ON?
Venezuelan ship destroyed during a US military strike off the coast of Venezuela, September 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Holsey’s retirement less than a year into his tenure as head of the combatant command is highly unusual. By comparison, former SOUTHCOM commander Army Gen. Laura Richardson served in the role from 2021 to 2024.
Holsey did not give a reason for his departure in October and did not share any additional details Friday.
However, Holsey had expressed “concerns” about the strikes, drawing the ire of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the New York Times reported. Hegseth already believed Holsey was not cracking down more aggressively on suspected drug traffickers, and Holsey’s concerns caused the relationship between the two leaders to deteriorate even further, the Times said.
As a result, Hegseth pressured Holsey to resign, according to the Times.
The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to Hegseth’s original social media post in October after Holsey’s retirement announcement, in which the secretary of war thanked Holsey for his service.
“The Department thanks Admiral Holsey for his decades of service to our country, and we wish him and his family continued success and fulfillment in the years to come,” Hegseth said in his message.
CAPITOL HILL REVOLT THREATENS TRUMP MANUAL IN VENEZUELA AMID CARIBBEAN STRIKE WATCH
Meanwhile, the strikes have drawn increased attention from Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. While some lawmakers have historically challenged the legality of the strikes — particularly after revelations in recent weeks that a second strike was carried out against a ship after the first left survivors in September — the Trump administration has regularly said it has the authority to carry out these attacks.
For example, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. ; Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, introduced a war powers resolution on Dec. 3 to prohibit Trump from using U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order on AI, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, United States, December 11, 2025. (Al Drago/Reuters)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In total, the Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters since September, targeting suspected drug traffickers, in an effort to combat the flow of drugs into the United States. Additionally, Trump has signaled for months that land strikes could be next, and the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.
“We are currently destroying drug boats at a level we have never seen,” Trump said on December 3. “Very soon we will start doing this on land as well.”
