Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing yet another setback as another high-ranking military official, Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, prepares to step down. This departure marks a significant moment in a series of exits from Hegseth’s department, intensifying the challenges he confronts.

Admiral Holsey will be leaving his post this December, curtailing his service two years before the conclusion of his intended three-year term. In a heartfelt statement, Holsey expressed, “Serving as your commander and deputy for the past 34 months has been a tremendous honor,” reflecting on his tenure and contributions.

Holsey’s decision to resign deals a significant blow to Hegseth, who has been under increasing scrutiny due to a succession of resignations and leaks troubling his department. The loss of such a senior figure only adds to the mounting pressure on his leadership.

During his time in office, Admiral Holsey played a pivotal role in overseeing operations aimed at tackling narcoterrorism. However, insiders suggest that discord had been simmering between Holsey and Hegseth, particularly concerning the strategies employed in Caribbean operations. This tension may have contributed to Holsey’s decision to leave his command.

Holsey has been overseeing the department’s crackdown on narcoterrorists, but sources claim tensions had been rising between he and Hegseth over the operation in the Caribbean.

The revelation that Holsey will step down comes after the US military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean.

Three members of the crew appear to have survived.

The US military launched search and rescue assets, but it was not clear if any survivors were rescued, according to Fox News. 

Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey will leave his job in December, two years before his three-year contract is set to expire

His departure is a bitter blow for Hegseth, who has faced mounting pressure after a wave of departures and leaks from his department

Prior to Thursday’s operation, US military strikes against suspected drug boats off Venezuela killed at least 27 people, raising alarms among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they adhere to the laws of war.

The Trump administration argues the US is already engaged in a war with narcoterrorist groups from Venezuela, making the strikes legitimate.

But sources told The New York Times that Holsey had expressed concerns about the escalating attacks on alleged drug boats.

One source said Holsey had questioned whether he would be fired as Hegseth sought to clear out the Pentagon. 

He reportedly fired former head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse back in August, as well as Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who was chief of the Navy Reserve and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversees Naval Special Warfare Command.

The administration also stripped security clearances from additional current and former national security officials.

The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, called Admiral Alvin Holsey’s unexpected resignation troubling given mounting fears of a potential US confrontation with Venezuela. 

‘Admiral Holsey’s resignation only deepens my concern that this administration is ignoring the hard-earned lessons of previous U.S. military campaigns and the advice of our most experienced warfighters,’ Reed said.

The US military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew. Pictured: the wreckage from one of the five previous attacks the Pentagon has made against what they call narcoterrorists

It comes as President Trump continues to deploy more heavy artillery to the Caribbean and Pete Hegseth oversees more changes at the Department of Defense

Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only in November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. 

These types of postings typically last between three and four years.

He said he was ‘honored to serve our nation’ over 37 years in a moving social media statement paid tribute to his team.

‘The SOUTHCOM team has made lasting contributions to the defense of our nation and will continue to do so,’ he wrote. 

‘I am confident that you will forge ahead, focused on your mission that strengthens our nation and ensures its longevity as a beacon of freedom around the globe,’ he wrote.

The department has been targeting vessels suspected of carrying drugs into the United States.

Videos presented by the Trump administration of previous attacks showed vessels being completely destroyed, and there have been no prior accounts of survivors.

The strikes come against the backdrop of a US military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops as President Donald Trump escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.

Special operations helicopters, B-52s and C-17s are among the aircraft the US has built up in the region, The Washington Post reported.  

Special operations helicopters, B-52s and C-17s are among the aircraft the US has built up in the region

On Wednesday, Trump disclosed he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, adding to speculation in Caracas that the United States is attempting to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In a letter to the United Nations’ 15-member Security Council Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada asked for a UN determination that the US strikes off its coast are illegal and issue a statement backing Venezuela’s sovereignty.

Less than a week ago, the Pentagon announced its counter-narcotics operations in the region would not be led by the Miami-based Southern Command, which oversees US military activities in Latin America.

Instead, the Pentagon said a taskforce was being created that would be led by II Marine Expeditionary Force, a unit capable of rapid overseas operations that is based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

That decision came as a surprise to US military-watchers, since a combatant command like Southern Command would normally lead any high-profile operations.