The head of the Southern Command began an intensive tour of the Caribbean and South America on November 5, despite announcing his early retirement for December. This coincides with the deadline for Washington to explain the legal basis for its threats against Venezuela.
More than a farewell, his agenda seems to reaffirm the role of the military as emissaries of the U.S. strategy in the region, a trend already visible in his predecessors.
Written by: La Tabla/Data Journalism Platform 7 NOV 2025
On November 5, Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, kicked off a hectic schedule of visits, starting with the flagship USS Iwo Jima, a central piece of the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean.
On the following day, he was in Guyana (where he reaffirmed the commitment to territorial integrity) and on Friday in Suriname, after previously visiting several Caribbean islands.
Interestingly, this intense activity began two weeks after Holsey announced his anticipated retirement for December. His term, which was supposed to be longer, will be truncated after barely a year in office.
However, far from a low-profile exit, the admiral seems to have decided to reaffirm his role as the visible face of U.S. strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Paradox of an Active Resignation
– Announced resignation: Holsey communicated that he would leave office in December, shortening a mandate that typically lasts three years.
– Intensified tour: Just two weeks later, he embarks on a journey that projects continuity and leadership, as if seeking to reaffirm his authority in the final stretch of his tenure.
– Temporal coincidence: These visits coincide with the deadline for Washington to explain the legal basis for its threats against Venezuela, giving his presence in the region a strong political symbolism.
Uniformed Diplomacy
The contradiction is evident:
– Politicians in Washington harden confrontational rhetoric.
– The military, on the contrary, travels, agrees, and seeks to project stability.
In this context, Holsey’s figure embodies the militarization of U.S. foreign policy: it’s the uniformed personnel who take the lead on regional influence, while civil diplomats seem relegated to a secondary role.
Historical Annex: A Trend Among Four Commanders
This is not a definitive conclusion, but rather an observable pattern that supports the hypothesis that Southern Command has been used as a diplomatic vehicle by Washington in Latin America and the Caribbean:
– Laura Richardson (2021–2024): tours for strategic alliances and containment of Chinese influence, with discourse around cooperation and stability.
– Craig Faller (2018–2021): regional pressure against the Venezuelan government, acting as a political emissary in Brazil, Colombia, and the Caribbean.
– Kurt Tidd (2016–2018): maritime security cooperation and disaster, consolidating the diplomatic profile of Southern Command.
– Alvin Holsey (2024–2025): despite announcing his early departure, he intensifies his regional agenda at a moment of tension with Venezuela.
Open Hypothesis
More than closed conclusions, what emerges is a working hypothesis: Southern Command has assumed a diplomatic role over the past few years that used to belong to ambassadors and foreign ministries. Holsey’s tour, post-announcing his resignation, wouldn’t be an isolated event but part of a broader trend in which military diplomacy becomes a central channel of U.S. influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.