SOUTHCOM chief resigns amid rift with Hegseth over Caribbean strikes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: CNN
17 Oct 2025 21:19

Admiral Alvin Holsey is set to retire amid reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the legality of recent US military strikes in the Caribbean.

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Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of US Southern Command, speaks during a ceremony where he was awarded the Order of Merit “Gral Div Bernardino Caballero” in the grade of “Gran Cross”, at Government Palace in Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025 (AP)

The admiral in charge of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), responsible for American forces in the Caribbean, Alvin Holsey, is set to retire at the end of the year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday on X. His tenure comes amid increasing scrutiny over multiple US strikes against vessels allegedly trafficking drugs off Venezuela, actions that critics have called legally ambiguous.

The announcement follows a series of recent military operations in the region, including the fifth known strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat, which killed six people. It also comes one day after President Donald Trump said he had authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela to curb the flow of drugs and migrants. On Wednesday, US Air Force B-52 bombers conducted a more than four-hour mission off Venezuela’s coast, CNN reported.

Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that tensions had been simmering between Hegseth and Adm. Alvin Holsey for weeks before the retirement announcement. Hegseth reportedly felt that Holsey was not acting quickly or aggressively enough against Caribbean drug traffickers and was frustrated over the lack of operational information. Conversely, SOUTHCOM raised concerns about the legality of certain operations, the sources added.

The dispute reportedly came to a head during a meeting at the Pentagon on October 6 with Hegseth, Holsey, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine. One source said Holsey had offered to resign during that meeting, though the idea was tabled, with his departure only announced over a week later.

The Pentagon, however, denied that Holsey ever expressed reservations about the alleged counter-narcotics mission.

Holsey reflects on career, retirement

Holsey confirmed on X that he will retire on December 12, 2025. “Serving as your commander and deputy for the past 34 months has been a tremendous honor,” he wrote. “The SOUTHCOM team has made lasting contributions to the defense of our nation and will continue to do so. 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.”

Holsey assumed command of Southern Command in November 2024, succeeding Army Gen. Laura Richardson, who retired after serving from 2021 to 2025. A 37-year Navy veteran, Holsey was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1988.

His prior roles include commander of the Navy’s Carrier Strike Group One, operations officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Military Deputy Commander at SOUTHCOM.

“On behalf of the Department of War, we extend our deepest gratitude to Admiral Alvin Holsey for his more than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation as he plans to retire at year’s end,” Hegseth wrote on X.

Holsey’s retirement is the latest in a string of personnel changes since Pete Hegseth assumed the role of Secretary of Defense earlier this year. Hegseth has replaced or dismissed several senior officers, including Gen. CQ Brown, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, former Chief of Naval Operations; Gen. James Slife, former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force; and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.