MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The head of the US Southern Command, Adm. Alvin Holsey, is stepping down less than a year after being appointed to the post, media reported, citing two US officials.
US Southern Command oversees all operations in Central and South America. In recent months, the Pentagon has been increasing the number of its troops in the region as part of a major counternarcotics and counterterrorism operation.
The report said it was unclear why Adm. Holsey is leaving so suddenly less than a year into what was supposed to be a three-year job, and amid the biggest operation in his career.
According to two US officials, Adm. Holsey had raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the boats allegedly carrying drugs.
The report said Holsey, an African American, is the latest in a string of more than a dozen female or Black military leaders to leave their jobs. Most of them were fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
