Admiral Holsey Retired After Refusing Orders for Lethal Strikes, Reports Say
USSOUTHCOM Commander the latest in a series of senior officers to leave under defense secretary Hegseth
Multiple media reports, citing sources familiar with the matter, indicate United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Commander Admiral Alvin Holsey’s early retirement was the result of his refusal to carry out expanded orders for lethal military strikes against suspected targets in Venezuela.
Holsey, a top U.S. commander, reportedly concluded the orders were illegal under international law.
The core of the dispute, according to reports from CNN and the Financial Times, involves an administration policy designating drug traffickers as "unlawful combatants."
This designation was intended to legally justify killing them in international waters, a move Holsey and other critics argued constitutes extrajudicial killing and violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Sources claim Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally pressured Holsey to escalate the campaign, stating the admiral was not acting quickly or aggressively enough. The strikes have reportedly led to dozens of deaths without due process.
Holsey, who left just one year into a typical three-year post, also reportedly objected to a potential expansion of the mission to include land-based targets.
His departure highlights significant civil-military tensions.
Holsey is the latest in a series of senior officers to leave under Hegseth, who famously drew scrutiny during his confirmation hearings for refusing to state whether he would follow an illegal order from the president.
