Admiral Alvin “Bull” Holsey will retire at the end of 2025, cutting short what is typically a three-year tour as commander of U.S. Southern Command. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the move, praising Holsey’s 37 years of service. The decision lands in the middle of an aggressive counter-drug campaign at sea near Venezuela that has sunk multiple boats and raised the political temperature across the Caribbean.

Multiple outlets report friction between Holsey and Hegseth over how those maritime strikes are being run . The backdrop is a wider buildup around Venezuela and talk in Washington about options that go beyond the shoreline. Whatever the private disagreements, the public line is simple. Holsey will finish the year and retire.

A quick read on Holsey’s caree

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