Author: La Tabla/Data Journalism Platform | Dec 20, 2025
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The appointment of Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan as the future commander of Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Although the official announcement from the Department of Defense was released on Friday, December 19, legislative records indicate that the nomination was submitted to the Senate on Thursday, December 18—just one day before it became public.
According to documentation from Congress.gov, the White House forwarded Donovan’s file for elevation to the rank of general—an essential requirement for leading SOUTHCOM—and it was received and referred to the Armed Services Committee on the same day, December 18. The request was processed under the mechanism outlined in Title 10, Section 601, which governs promotions associated with positions of “significance and responsibility.”
This detail dispels any notion of urgency or improvised reaction: the decision was planned, signed, and submitted to Congress before Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth publicly announced it along with other promotions within the Marine Corps.
📌 Why Donovan Was Not a General
Even though Donovan has 37 years of service and an impressive career in reconnaissance units, expeditionary forces, and special operations, he did not hold the rank of general (four stars) needed to command SOUTHCOM.
This is explained by the structure of the Marine Corps itself, which only has two permanent four-star positions (Commander and Vice Commander of the USMC). Additional promotions depend on occupying positions classified as “of significance and responsibility” under Title 10.
Moreover, Donovan spent a significant part of his career in the special operations circuit (MARSOC–JSOC–SOCOM), a prestigious path that historically produces fewer four-star generals than the conventional USMC commands. Thus, his elevation could only occur when a position requiring it became available, such as the command of SOUTHCOM.
📊 Background: Other Marines in SOUTHCOM
Donovan is not the first Marine Corps officer to lead Southern Command. Prior to him, two generals held this position:
– General Charles E. Wilhelm (1997–2000): the first Marine to command SOUTHCOM, he led the transition of command from Panama to Miami.
– General Peter Pace (2000–2001): the second Marine in the role, he later became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first from his branch to achieve that position.
With Donovan’s nomination in 2025, the Marine Corps once again assumes command of SOUTHCOM, but with a notable difference: his promotion to general occurs simultaneously with his appointment, a legal yet uncommon procedure.
The sequence confirms that the White House had already decided to place Donovan at the helm of Southern Command before the country received the news, and that the administrative process moved quickly and discreetly.
His case marks a return of the Marines to the leadership of SOUTHCOM, but under a specific modality: simultaneous appointment and promotion, reinforcing the perception of a calculated move with political implications in the hemisphere.