The admiral who oversees U.S. Southern Command is leaving as the Pentagon continues attacks on small boats in waters off Venezuela, saying they are used by drug traffickers.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The head of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees all military activities in the Caribbean and South America, is resigning after just one year on the job. His retirement was announced this week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on social media. NPR’s Quil Lawrence reports.
QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE: Secretary Hegseth announced that Admiral Alvin Holsey will retire after 37 years in the military and praised what he called the admiral’s unwavering commitment to the mission, the people and the nation. The United States Southern Command later released a message from Admiral Holsey thanking his troops. It is highly unusual for an officer not to complete the full three years of a command like this, and even stranger in the midst of a military buildup, which has seen thousands of U.S. troops stationed off the coast of Venezuela. Admiral Holsey is black. The Trump administration has fired several senior military officials who are neither white nor female, suggesting they were promoted for that reason. But there’s another theory this time, says retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery.
MARK MONTGOMERY: I would probably lean more towards the fact that we are currently conducting extremely unusual operations in Southern Command that a reasonable person would disagree with as the legality of.
LAWRENCE: Recently, at least six times, the U.S. military has carried out deadly strikes against small civilian vessels. The White House says they’re transporting drugs. Critics say the strikes are illegal under U.S. and international law and amount to execution without trial. Montgomery says the military is not suited to the job.
MONTGOMERY: While I absolutely want to prevent all drugs from entering the country, this type of police action against narcotics shipments is best handled by law enforcement following proper due process.
LAWRENCE: A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to NPR that Admiral Holsey recently met with Hegseth at the Pentagon to express his concerns, then resigned. After this news broke, President Trump confirmed the most recent strike against what he described as a drug-carrying submarine. Trump declared without evidence that this was, quote, “not a group of innocent people.” A second U.S. official, who is not authorized to speak publicly, said U.S. troops captured two survivors after that strike and they were being taken elsewhere for possible prosecution.
Quil Lawrence, NPR News.
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