Commander, US Southern Command Retires Early
Admiral Alvin Holsey
Admiral Overseeing Caribbean Mission to Retire after One Year in Role
Heather Mongilio
The head of U.S. Southern Command, which is overseeing the Trump administration’s ongoing military strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, will retire just over one year into his tenure.
Adm. Alvin Holsey assumed command in November 2024. The commanders of combatant commands typically serve in the role for three years.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who announced Holsey’s retirement Thursday on social media site X, did not specify when exactly Holsey will relinquish command of SOUTHCOM, saying it would be by the “year’s end.” The command is currently one of the more active COCOMs, with eight Navy ships operating in the region, including the ships making up the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and three independent destroyers, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
“His tenure as Military Deputy Commander and now Commander of United States Southern Command reflects a legacy of operational excellence and strategic vision,” Hegseth wrote in the post. “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 ahead.”
Holsey assumed command from Army Gen. Laura Richardson. He previously served as the military deputy commander of SOUTHCOM.
When Admiral Holsey assumed command, then SECDEF Lloyd Austin opined the turn-over was historic because the occasion marked “The first woman commander of SOUTHCOM passes the baton to the first African American commander of SOUTHCOM.” Mark your calendar.
This is the fatal flaw of DEI- was he the very best for the job, or was his advancement based on other factors? Before DEI there would be no question. As for retiring, according to the New York Times he has expressed misgivings over the recent deadly, kinetic strikes on drug smugglers operating in international waters. If he cannot support the mission this is the honorable course to take.
Category: Big Navy
Excellent.
A flag officer doing the right thing.
Moving out of the way to let the truly qualified lead.
Must be a hard pill to swallow to know you are not competent, but he did the right thing.
I wouldn’t be so quick to assume incompetence here. I’m not sure any of us here are in a position to make an assessment of the man’s competence as a senior commander.
FWIW: requesting reassignment or retiring/resigning is precisely what a senior commander should do if they cannot support policy. That may be what’s going on here.
Looks like he took Hegseth at his word.
Thank you for your service.
Yes, I’ll be rude about this.
Why? Because I can.
https://www.tiktok.com/@grittv/video/7255395528123387178
It is curious that while many Venezuelan citizens have been killed in the strikes their Government is not allowing anyone, including family members, to comment on it. In fact they are taking extraordinary measures such as cutting power and connectivity service to neighborhoods where those killed lived and then deleting comments on social media posted by family members.
The last boat was reported to have citizens from Trinidad and Tobago on board and their families are commenting and expressing disbelief at the validity of the strikes.
I have to say that I agree with this officers decision.
I am a huge Trump supporter and love everything else that he is doing.
I have a problem with killing people who are only accused of drug smuggling.
There is no evidence presented, fact finding, or judge and jury.
Imagine if the Coast Guard sailed around killing people and sinking boots based on a single accusation of drugs smuggling with no evidence at all.
It is a universally accepted law-enforcement function to seize the boat, imprison the crew, present evidence at the court and incarcerate these people for decades.
Not immediate execution by the Armed Forces
I’d agree with you if our judicial system wasn’t a complete dysfunctional mess that no longer has the best interest of this country at its core. When the drug runners are state sponsored actors intent on destroying the US from the inside, I don’t see it as a far stretch designating them enemy combatants.
ILLEGAL enemy combatants, subject to summary execution. Just making an observation.
Maduro on tape saying “war with America”, as dingleberries often say, would support a Presidential Finding. Trump is a genius for finding and utilizing loopholes.
Keep in mind that a “semi-submesible” boat is kinda hard to explain except for smuggling, or espionage, or piracy. They display no lights at night.
And are packed to the deck with dope.
Some are more ordinary smugglers boats. But there are strong “tells” for those, too.
And the aggregate body count from the drugs runs into tens of thousands.
A formal declaration of war on the narcos would help feelings.
And the length taken to ensure proper targeting are probably Yuge. It would be bad PR to sink a semi-submersible chartered by Cousteau Society, or Greenpeace, or WhaleWierdiesWhateva.
Because you know Maduro is going to float a smuggleboat full of orphans and nuns, sooner or later. Just like Iran flew a passenger plane at one of our warships.