CNN- The admiral overseeing US Southern Command, which has responsibility for forces in the Caribbean, where the US has carried out multiple legally ambiguous strikes against alleged drug cartels, is retiring one year into his tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post on X on Thursday.
The news comes just days after the US military conducted its fifth known strike on a boat alleged to be trafficking drugs off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people. It also comes one day after President Donald Trump said publicly that he had authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela to clamp down on the flow of drugs and migrants. Also on Wednesday, US Air Force B-52 bombers flew off the coast of Venezuela for more than four hours, CNN previously reported.
The reason behind Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey’s sudden retirement and short tenure leading Southern Command is unclear. He had previously served as the deputy for Southern Command.
Holsey confirmed in a statement on X that on December 12, 2025, “I will retire from the US Navy.”
“Serving as your commander and deputy for the past 34 months has been a tremendous honor,” Holsey 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.”
Neither the US Navy nor Southern Command have responded to a request for comment.
Holsey was sworn in as the commander of Southern Command in November 2024. Holsey’s predecessor, Army Gen. Laura Richardson, served as the Southern Command commander from 2021 to 2025 before retiring.
Holsey has served in uniform for 37 years since commissioning from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1988, according to his official Navy biography. His previous assignments have included commander of the Navy’s Carrier Strike Group One, an operations officer in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and most recently as the Military Deputy Commander at Southern Command.
“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 said in his X post.
Hegseth has replaced a number of senior officers across the military since taking over as Secretary this year, including by firing former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown; 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 US Defense Intelligence Agency.
