Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of the U.S. Southern Command overseeing strikes on what the Trump administration claims are Venezuelan drug boats, has stepped down after expressing concern with the attacks, according to a new report.
Over the past few weeks, Special Operations forces have launched hits on at least five boats off the Venezuelan coast in the Caribbean Sea that the White House claims were transporting drugs. A total of 27 people have been killed in the strikes.
Just this week, Trump announced a boat strike that killed six suspected drug traffickers.
“The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. Forces were harmed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
Two days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Holsey’s early retirement from the Navy. Holsey assumed the commander role just this past November after serving as the deputy commander.
“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 Thursday.
The timing of Holsey’s retirement is odd, given that it’s been less than a year since Holsey took on his current post.
The New York Times reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official, that Holsey had expressed concerns about the alleged drug boat attacks and the Southern Command’s overall counterdrug and counterterrorism mission. The Southern Command, which covers Central and South America, currently has about 10,000 troops in the region, per the NYT.
Holsey said in a statement given to The Independent by the Southern Command, “Serving as your commander and deputy for the past 34 months has been a tremendous honor.
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 said he will retire on December 12.
When Trump announced the first boat strike on September 2, which he said killed 11 people, he warned, “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.”
The president has been fighting to keep drugs out of the country as overdose deaths are at a high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says synthetic opioids including fentanyl are driving this overdose death crisis. But fentanyl is trafficked into the U.S. mostly from Mexico, not Venezuela.
The Trump administration said it “determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations,” according to a memo to Congress that was obtained by The Independent. As a result, the Pentagon was ordered to “conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict.”
Some have raised worries about the legality of the strikes as the White House has not provided any proof that the targeted boats were carrying drugs.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino insisted last week the U.S. government knows the boats are not being used for drug trafficking.
The Senate even tried to pass a war powers resolution last week that would have blocked the Trump administration from conducting the strikes unless Congress authorized them. It failed 51-48, with two GOP lawmakers voting with nearly all the Democrats in favor of it.
