The American Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, announced this Thursday (16) that Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of the US Southern Command, which carries out military operations in the Caribbean near Venezuela, will retire at the end of the year.
He had been appointed in November last year as replacement for Commander Laura Richardson.
“On behalf of the War Department, we express 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 the end of the year,” Hegseth said on X.
“Throughout his career — from commanding helicopter squadrons to leading Aircraft Carrier Strike Group One and creating the International Maritime Security Framework — Admiral Holsey has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the mission, the people, and the nation. His tenure as deputy military commander and now commander of United States Southern Command reflects a legacy of operational excellence and strategic vision,” he added the secretary.
Despite the praise in Hegseth’s message, the sudden announcement of retirement caused distrust.
This is because Holsey has been in the role for less than a year (commanders in this position are only changed every three years) and because the American newspaper The New York Times reported that a current and a former US official, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the commander raised concerns about the current military operation in the Caribbean and attacks on boats allegedly transporting drugs near Venezuela.
At the end of August, the Donald Trump administration began a military operation in the Caribbean Sea, sending eight warships and a nuclear submarine to waters close to Venezuela, with the aim of preventing drugs from reaching American territory.
The US also sent F-35 fighter jets to an airfield in Puerto Rico to carry out operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean.
Since then, American forces have carried out several attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea, alleging that they were transporting drugs belonging to Venezuelan gangs, an attack that has killed 27 drug traffickers, according to the White House.
The UN and international NGOs question the legality of these attacks on vessels. The Trump administration claims such actions are legitimate, as it designated several drug cartels as terrorist organizations this year.
The Venezuelan dictatorship considers such an operation an “excuse” for military intervention in the South American country.
On Wednesday (15), Trump said that, in addition to these bombings, he is considering actions “on the ground” in Venezuela and confirmed information from The New York Times that he authorized “lethal” operations by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the South American country.
This week, international news organizations reported that MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks and US B-52H Stratofortress bombers flew over Caribbean Sea waters near Venezuela.
The Reuters agency reported that the United States military carried out a new attack this Thursday against a vessel allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea, near Venezuela, an operation that, unlike previous actions of this type by American forces, had survivors.
The Reuters source, who asked not to be named, did not give further details and it is not known whether the American military provided assistance to the survivors and whether they were arrested. The Pentagon has not yet commented on the matter.
