Admiral whose abrupt retirement from SouthCom shocked region hands over command

MIAMI — The U.S. Southern Command, the Pentagon’s combatant outpost based in Miami-Dade County that is at the center of escalating tensions in the southern Caribbean, has a new commander.

Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey officially relinquished his duties Friday, passing command responsibilities to his deputy, Lt. General Evan L. Pettus, an Air Force fighter pilot. The relinquishment of command and retirement ceremony was far smaller and more subdued than the one that ushered Holsey in a year ago as SOUTHCOM’S first African American leader when he took over from retiring four-star Army Gen. Laura Richardson, the first woman named to the post.

A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Pettus previously served as commandant of the Air Command and Staff College, the commander of Air Forces Southern, commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, and vice commander of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center. He will remain in the role as acting commander until President Donald Trump nominates a permanent successor.

Holsey, 60, a career naval aviator, shocked U.S. policy observers in October by announcing his early retirement, just one year into the three-year job. The announcement came amid rising alarm in Latin America and the Caribbean over the Trump administration’s deadly boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers off the coast of Venezuela.

Days earlier Holsey, who ends a 37-year military career, had been on an official visit to Grenada, which had been asked by Washington to host to a radar system at its Cuba-built Maurice Bishop International Airport.

Holsey didn’t address the speculation over the reason for his departure during his farewell remarks. But along with emphasizing the importance of strength and determination, and personal anecdotes, he spoke about love and being a trusted partner. He urged Pettus to uphold SOUTHCOM’s long-standing partnerships with dozens of Caribbean and Latin American nations, and to stand firmly behind the rule of law.

“True partnerships will always be our best deterrent,” he said. “To be a trusted partner, you must be credible, present and engaged.”

Speaking to his own legacy in the top job and before, when he served under Richardson, he said: “We have worked hard and tirelessly to build relationships and understand requirements across the region. That work must continue across the whole of government to deliver a point of need to respond to shared threats in our neighborhood. The time is now.”

Though SOUTHCOM is supposed to have responsibility over the Latin American region, the Pentagon’s attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea have been run out of Washington.

Earlier in the week, Holsey briefed lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the boat strikes, which, along with others in the eastern Pacific have killed at least 87 people. His briefing came amid intensifying scrutiny of the operations and Trump’s escalating rhetoric against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Friday’s ceremony was held outdoors, as opposed to inside the Doral facility’s spacious gym, at Holsey’s request. Known for his quiet demeanor, he wanted something more intimate. Along with that also came limited access by the media.

Unlike in previous retirement ceremonies where reporters were allowed to roam, journalists were escorted out at the end. Also unlike past change-of-command ceremonies where the audience was packed with members of the Miami-Dade congressional delegation, top State Department officials, foreign diplomats, past SOUTHCOM commanders and the secretary of defense, that was not the case Friday.

The highest Trump administration official present was Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He thanked both Holsey and his wife, Stephanie, for their years of service and made no mention of the military operations, even as the flags of Caribbean and Latin American nations fluttered in the wind nearby In his own remarks, Caine he referred to Holsey by his nickname, “Bull,” and told him, “you’ve had an incredible career.”

“The proudest moments, Bull Holsey are never, as I’ve said, about you. They are always about others. They are always what they’ve accomplished. It’s always what ‘We’ did, not what ‘I’ did,” Caine said. “You’ve never said ‘I’ in all the conversations we’ve had. You’ve only always, ever said ‘We.’ It comes through so deeply the care and love that you have for not only the humans that you’re blessed to lead, but this incredible nation.”

Holsey assumed command in November 2024 as the region was confronting escalating challenges. Narco-traffickers were expanding their operations and threatening the security and stability within the region. China’s influence was growing near critical strategic areas, including the Panama Canal, and Haiti’s security was rapidly deteriorating, fueled by criminal armed gangs.

As someone who had already spent nearly two years as the military deputy commander at SOUTHCOM, Holsey had a grasp of the region, his fellow officers said. He not only understood the area, he knew the partners and recognized the operational gaps and the urgency of the moment he was thrust in.

During Friday’s ceremony, Caine presented Holsey with the Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of his service. Caine then read a citation by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that praised the admiral for his role in seizing over 1 million pounds of cocaine and credited him for his role in the efforts to get an armed international force in Haiti led by Kenya.

“His leadership was critical in supporting the United Nations authorized multinational security support mission in Haiti, enabling a Kenyan led security force to augment the Haitian national police and prevent Haiti from descending into a failed state,” Caine said. “The distinctive accomplishments of Admiral Holsey culminated a long and distinguished career in the service of his country, and reflect great credit upon himself.”

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