Top Military Commander Steps Down

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced that the top military official overseeing military strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug runners will retire at the end of the year — a surprising move given that the four-star admiral took command less than a year ago.

Adm. Alvin Holsey’s abrupt departure as head of U.S. Southern Command — which oversees U.S. military operations in Latin America — comes as President Donald Trump has conducted lethal strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea. U.S. forces have destroyed at least five boats since early September, killing more than two dozen people, and Trump this week floated the idea of conducting land strikes against Venezuelan cartels, though he offered no details.

Hegseth, who announced the retirement in a post on X, did not give a reason for Holsey’s departure or immediately name his successor. He thanked Holsey, hailed him as having “exemplified the highest standards” and said he “demonstrated unwavering commitment to mission, people, and nation.”

In a statement issued by Southern Command, Holsey said he’ll retire Dec. 12, but didn’t elaborate on the circumstances of his departure. But he praised Southern Command personnel for their “lasting contributions to the defense of our nation.”

The sudden change at Southern Command is the latest shake-up for the military’s senior ranks under the Trump administration. Then-Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown and Navy chief Adm. Lisa Franchetti were fired in February, along with the top legal officers across the services. In April, Cyber Command chief Gen. Timothy Haugh was dismissed.

And Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Allvin plans to retire in November, just halfway into his four-year term.

Meanwhile, the repeated strikes in the Caribbean have heightened tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, where Nicolas Maduro’s government has responded by ordering military exercises, mobilizing civilian militias and denouncing U.S. actions as aggression.

And Trump’s use of lethal military force against purported drug runners — which the White House contends is within his legal authority to defend the U.S. — has sparked bipartisan blowback in Congress, and those objections could grow more strident if the president pursues expanded operations.

Trump on Wednesday said the administration was “looking at land” as it considers further strikes in the region. He also confirmed that he authorized covert operations by the CIA in Venezuela.

“I authorized for two reasons, really,” Trump said. “No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America,” he said. “And the other thing, the drugs, we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.”

Some lawmakers have criticized Trump’s approach to Venezuela. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, said Wednesday that Trump had crossed the line, arguing his action “slides the United States closer to outright conflict with no transparency, oversight, or apparent guardrails.”

Holsey, who assumed command in November 2024, succeeded Army Gen. Laura Richardson. He is one of the few Black four-star officers in the military.

Underscoring the suddenness of Holsey’s exit, Southern Command announced this week that Holsey was visiting the Caribbean nations of Antigua, Barbuda and Grenada on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A native of Fort Valley, Georgia, Holsey commanded the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, Carrier Strike Group One and a multinational naval task force formed to protect global shipping routes. He had served as Southern Command’s military deputy commander.