A top Pentagon officer whose abrupt retirement came as a shock to his colleagues was reportedly forced out after repeated clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of U.S. Southern Command, had been in charge of U.S. forces in Latin America, which included Donald Trump’s crackdown on “narco-terrorists” in the area.

Questions were asked after Hegseth announced on social media in October that the four-star officer would be retiring at the end of the year after 37 years in the Navy. Holsey, 60, only started the job, which usually has a three-year term, in November last year—meaning he was leaving two years early.

At the time, rumors flew that his departure was due to clashes with Hegseth over the Caribbean mission.

The Washington Post reported at the time

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