by: Jordan Park

Website Manager

On Oct. 16, Admiral Alvin Holsey announced that he will retire later this year from his post as the head of the US military’s Southern Command. He is departing less than a year into what is typically a three-year term. His exit also comes at a moment when the Trump administration is escalating attacks against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean and increasing pressure on the Venezuelan government. 

The US has built a substantial military presence in the Caribbean with roughly 10,000 troops stationed mainly alongside 2,200 Marines on amphibious assault ships. The Navy also maintains eight warships and a submarine in the region. Since early September, US Special Operations forces have hit at least five boats off the Venezuelan coast, killing more than 27 people. The White House claims that all of the boats were transporting drugs. According to American officials, the broader aim of these attacks is to weaken Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro’s, grip on power.

Although Holsey is the highest-ranking military officer overseeing this region, the White House has directed the strikes, and Special Operations forces have carried them out while largely excluding Holsey from the decision-making. The administration has defended the strikes by claiming that they were a part of a non-international armed conflict against drug cartels, but lawmakers and legal experts have raised doubts about the justification. Several members of Congress have pressed for more evidence that the targeted boats were actually carrying drugs and questioned whether the US can treat cartel members like enemy soldiers rather than being arrested and tried. The operations have also increased tensions with Venezuela, as the US accuses President Maduro of collaborating with cartels, which he has denied while also condemning the attacks. Legal experts dispute the administration’s stance, pointing out that Congress has not authorized any armed conflict and that international law allows this kind of targeting only when a group is a true armed organization engaged in open hostilities. 

Holsey announced his retirement from the US Navy in a statement posted on social media, in which he wrote, “I am confident that you will forge ahead, focused on your mission that strengthens our nation and ensures its longevity as a beacon of freedom around the globe.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth thanked Holsey for his service and commented that his time in the US Southern Command “reflects a legacy of operational excellence and strategic vision.” It remains unclear why Holsey is departing, particularly during one of the biggest operations of his 37-year career. Hegseth’s statement also did not indicate who would replace Holsey. 

(Sources: CBS, NY Times)