U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey has been appointed commander of U.S. Southern Command.
SOUTHCOM said Holsey officially took over Gen. Laura Richardson during a change-of-command ceremony on Nov. 7 at the SOUTHCOM Headquarters in Doral, Florida. Holsey, whose presidential nomination was confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 24, was also promoted to admiral before the event, which was overseen by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a three-time Wash100 Award winner.
Alvin Holsey’s Military Career
Holsey most recently served as SOUTHCOM’s military deputy commander. The Naval officer’s 36-year career, which began in 1988, included several deployments aboard U.S. Navy frigates and cruisers. He also flew missions on SH-2F Seasprite and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters.
The new SOUTHCOM commander led a helicopter anti-submarine squadron and the first hybrid electric propulsion warship. He also commanded the USS Makin Island and Carrier Strike Group One aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
Holsey also served as deputy director for operations at the National Military Command Center for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and deputy chief of naval personnel at Navy Personnel Command.
The seasoned naval aviator is the first commander of the International Maritime Security Construct and Coalition Task Force Sentinel, a naval coalition responsible for ensuring maritime security in the Middle East. The coalition established freedom of navigation, free flow of commerce, stability of maritime commons and adherence to international law in the region.
Furthermore, Holsey is the first SOUTHCOM commander of African-American descent.
“We are making history today,” said Austin during the ceremony. “The first woman commander of SOUTHCOM passes the baton to the first African-American commander of SOUTHCOM.”
Holsey reaffirmed SOUTHCOM’s commitment to strengthen partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean, saying, “Partnerships are our best deterrence to countering shared security and economic concerns. We will always be there for like-minded nations, who share our values, our democracy, our rule of law and human rights.”