U.S. Admiral Alvin Holseystepping down after he "raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats"
Adm Holsey is stepping down after he "raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats"
"The military commander overseeing the Pentagon’s escalating attacks against boats in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration says are smuggling drugs is stepping down, three U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The officer, Adm. Alvin Holsey, is leaving his job as head of the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees all operations in Central and South America, even as the Pentagon has rapidly built up some 10,000 forces in the region in what it says is a major counterdrug and counterterrorism mission.
It was unclear why Admiral Holsey is leaving now, less than a year into his tenure, and in the midst of the biggest operation in his 37-year career. But one of the U.S. officials, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Admiral Holsey had raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats.
In a statement on social media, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made no mention of any friction with his four-star commander. “On behalf of the Department of War,” said Mr. Hegseth, using the name of the department he now prefers, “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.”
But other officials at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill said the praise masked real policy tensions concerning Venezuela that the admiral and his civilian boss were seeking to paper over.
Since early September, U.S. Special Operations forces have struck at least five boats off the Venezuelan coast that the White House says were transporting drugs, killing 27 people. American officials have privately made it clear that the main goal is to drive Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, from power.
But a range of specialists in the laws governing the use of force have disputed the Trump administration’s claim that it can lawfully kill people suspected of drug trafficking like enemy troops instead of arresting them for prosecution. As a matter of domestic law, Congress has not authorized any armed conflict.
As a matter of international law, for a nonstate group to qualify as a belligerent in an armed conflict — meaning its members can be targeted for killing based on their status alone, not because of anything they specifically do — it must be an “organized armed group” with a centralized command structure, and engaging in hostilities.
Admiral Holsey, who is Black, becomes the latest in a line of more than a dozen military leaders, many of them people of color and women, who have left their jobs this year. Most have been fired by Mr. Hegseth or pushed out.
Mr. Hegseth fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who is Black; the first woman to command the Navy, Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and the U.S. military’s representative to the NATO military committee, Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield. He also pushed out Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Others have not fit into the mold of what Mr. Hegseth considers a leader in his Pentagon. In August, the Air Force’s top uniformed officer, Gen. David Allvin, announced that he would retire early — two years into a four-year term.
About two weeks ago, Mr. Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world to meeting at Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. It was a gathering without precedent in recent memory. The secretary told the senior officers that he was tightening standards for fitness and grooming, cracking down even more rigorously on “woke garbage” and rejecting the notion of “toxic” leadership.
It was not clear on Thursday who would replace Admiral Holsey, who just this week visited the islands of Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada.
In today's report from the Russian Federation of the continuation of the special military operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had losses of 2,125 soldiers.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
▫️In Liptsy and Volchansk directions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on units of the AFU 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 92nd Assault Brigade, and 36th Marine Brigade near Glubokoye, Lipsy, and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 80 Ukrainian troops, one MLRS launcher, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one Anklav-N electronic warfare station.
▫️Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 44th, 67th, 115th mechanised brigades, 3rd Assault Brigade, 103rd, 110th territorial defence brigades, and 1st National Guard Brigade near Tabayevka (Kharkov region), Stelmakhovka, Rozovka, Nadiya, Nevskoye (Lugansk People's Republic), Torskoye (Donetsk People's...
Units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army aviation and artillery strikes conduct reconnaissance-search actions to locate and eliminate the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance groups in forest belts attempting to get to the depth of the Russian territory to the south of Alekseyevskoye, Safonovka, and Sheptukhovka.
▫️Attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 22nd, 61st, and 115th mechanised brigades, and 82nd Air Assault Brigade toward Komarovka, Olgovka, Russkoye, and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to one tank, five armoured fighting vehicles, one counterobstacle vehicle, and more than 30 Ukrainian troops.
▫️Aviation and artillery strikes along with actions of defending troops inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware clusters near Borki, Fanaseyevka, Cherkasskaya Konopelka, Novoivanovka, Mikhailovka, Snagost, and to the south of Kurilovka.
▫️One U.S.-made M270 MLRS launcher was destroyed by a missile strike near Bezdrik (Sumy ...
The banner of the unit was captured in battle by the Rifle Battalion of the 1st Guards Slavic Brigade.
Also, the Storm unit of the 1st Slavyanskaya captured the next object “Cheburashka”, and the 2nd battalion captured the next dacha area (in front of the Khimik microdistrict).
In addition, Russian fighters today cut the road from Lastochkino to Avdeevsky coke plant.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line. The Group's units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three territorial defence brigades close to Volnaya Sloboda, Ikriskovshchina, Novaya Sech, Novodmitrovka, and Shostka in Sumy region.
In Kharkov region, units of two mechanised brigades, a motorised infantry brigade, and an artillery brigade of the AFU were hit near Verkhnyaya Pisarevka, Volchanskiye Khutora, Malaya Volchya, and Ternovaya in Kharkov region.
▪️The AFU losses amounted to up to 200 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, one armoured fighting vehicle, and 13 motor vehicles. One ammunition and two materiel depots were eliminated.
As a result of resolute actions, units of the Zapad Group of Forces liberated Kovsharovka in Kharkov region.
Russian troops inflicted losses on formations of three mechanised brigades of the AFU, a territorial defence brigade, and a national guard brigade near ...
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line. Manpower and hardware of the AFU mechanised brigade and one territorial defence brigade have been hit near Miropolye, Malaya Korchakovka, and Kondratovka (Sumy region).
In Kharkov region, units of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade have been hit near Izbitskoye, Bely Kolodez, Pokalyanoye, and Verkhnyaya Pisarevka (Kharkov region).
▪️ The AFU losses amounted to more than 195 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, two artillery guns, and two electronic warfare stations. Four ammunition depots and 10 materiel depots were neutralised.
As a result of active and decisive actions, units of the Zapad Group of Forces liberated Brusovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
In addition, strikes were delivered at manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence ...
From 21 to 27 March 2026, in response to terrorist attacks launched by Ukraine against civilian facilities in Russia, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered one massive and five group strikes, as a result of which losses were inflicted on Ukrainian defence industry enterprises, fuel and power, transport, and airfield infrastructure used by the AFU, remote-controlled surface vehicle workshops, attack long-range UAV production, storage, and launch preparation sites as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.
As a result of resolute actions, units of the Sever Group of Forces took Potapovka (Sumy region), Peschanoye, and Shevyakovka (Kharkov region) under control.
Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of four mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade, one airmobile brigade, one air assault brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one national guard brigade.
Over the week, in the area of responsibility of the...
