Written by: La Tabla/Plataforma de Periodismo de Datos 16 OCT 2025
Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), has announced his retirement effective December 12, 2025, after more than 37 years of service. This decision was communicated on October 16 and comes at a crucial time for the mission he leads in the Caribbean.
The announcement of his retirement comes just a day after SOUTHCOM posted a photograph on social media, taken from 38,000 feet during the Admiral’s return flight from official visits to Antigua, Barbuda, and Grenada. The image captures a Navy ship deployed in the operation aimed at disrupting drug trafficking.
This naval campaign, which involves more than 4,000 personnel, has been characterized by the use of lethal force, resulting in the neutralization of 6 speedboats and the death of 27 suspected traffickers. Such a high level of lethality goes against standard operational protocols for interdiction activities, which prioritize seizures over annihilation; this places the Admiral’s departure in an unusual and question-laden operational context.
