Alvin Holsey

Alvin Holsey
Nickname	Bull [1]
Born	(1965-07-12) July 12, 1965 (age 60) Fort Valley, Georgia, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Service years	1988–2025
Rank	Admiral
Commands	United States Southern Command Navy Personnel Command Carrier Strike Group 1 USS Makin Island (LHD-8) Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light Three Seven (HSL-37)
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (5)
Alma mater	Morehouse College (BS) Troy State University (MS) Joint Forces Staff College

Alvin Holsey (born 1965) ^[2] is a retired United States Navy admiral, and a naval aviator, who served as the commander of United States Southern Command from November 2024 to December 2025. ^[3] He served as military deputy commander of the United States Southern Command from 2023 to 2024. Holsey was commander of the Navy Personnel Command and Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel from 2021 to 2022. His command assignments also include leading Carrier Strike Group 1 from 2018 to 2020, and serving as commanding officer of the U.S. Navy's first hybrid electric propulsion warship, the USS Makin Island (LHD-8) from 2013 to 2014 after acting as its executive officer from February 2012. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Career

A native of Fort Valley, Georgia, Holsey was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program at Morehouse College in 1988, where he received a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. In 1995, he earned a Master of Science in Management from Troy State University and attended the Joint Forces Staff College in 2010. ^[9]

In September 2022, Holsey was nominated for promotion to vice admiral, ^[10] and assignment as the military deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command. ^[11] In July 2024, Holsey was nominated for promotion to admiral and for the role of commander at United States Southern Command, a post that typically spans three years. ^[12]

In October 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that Holsey was retiring at the end of the year. ^[13] At the time, he was overseeing a Caribbean naval deployment that was the largest he had overseen in his career. ^{[14] [15]} Media reports allude Holsey was asked to step down and offered to resign during a tense October meeting with Hegseth, in which he raised questions about the legality of the U.S. military strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean. ^{[1] [16]} Holsey retired on December 12. ^{[17] [18]}

Holsey accepts the USSOUTHCOM command guidon from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on 7 November 2024

Awards and decorations

Naval Aviator's Badge
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal		Defense Superior Service Medal		Legion of Merit with four award stars
Defense Meritorious Service Medal		Meritorious Service Medal with award star		Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three award stars
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal		Joint Meritorious Unit Award		Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Navy E Ribbon, 1st award		National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star		Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal		Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal		Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal		Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with three bronze service stars		Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon
Command at Sea insignia
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

References

1. Lara Seligman; Vera Bergengruen; Alexander Ward (3 December 2025). "Hegseth asked top admiral to resign after months of discord". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 4 December 2025– via MSN.
2. Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy on Active Duty. Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1 October 1990. p. 165. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
3. Oblander, Samantha (7 November 2024). "Adm. Holsey Takes Command of SOUTHCOM". Doral, Florida: U.S. Southern Command. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
4. "USS Makin Island change of command". DVIDS . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
5. Jared Catlett (8 January 2021). "Navy Personnel Command Holds Change of Command". DVIDS . Navy Personnel Command. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
6. "Carrier Strike Group One Holds Change of Command". NNS200626-05. Carrier Strike Group One Public Affairs. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
7. "Navy Personnel Command Holds Change of Command". DVIDS . 15 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
8. "Flag Officer Announcements" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 24 July 2024. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
9. "Rear Admiral Alvin Holsey". U.S. Navy. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
10. "PN2669 — Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey — Navy, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". U.S. Congress. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
11. "Flag Officer Announcement". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 24 September 2022.^{[ dead link ]}
12. "PN1996 — Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey — Navy". U.S. Congress. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
13. Mongilio, Heather (16 October 2025). "Admiral Overseeing Caribbean Mission to Retire after One Year in Role". USNI News. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
14. Schmitt, Eric; Pager, Tyler (16 October 2025). "Military Commander Overseeing Escalating Attacks Off Venezuela Coast Is Stepping Down, Officials Say". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 October 2025.
15. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5559461-admiral-alvin-holsey-retires-southcom/
16. Natasha Bertrand (11 November 2025). "Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break". CNN . Retrieved 26 November 2025.
17. Schmitt, Eric (12 December 2025). "Alvin Holsey, Admiral Who Oversaw Boat Strikes Off Venezuela's Coast, Retires". The New York Times.
18. Watson, Eleanor (12 December 2025). "Commander overseeing U.S. forces in Caribbean relinquishes command early amid U.S. buildup near Venezuela - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Military offices
Preceded by Cedric E. Pringle	Commanding Officer of USS Makin Island (LHD-8) 2013–2014	Succeeded by Jon P. Rodgers
Preceded by John V. Fuller	Commander of Carrier Strike Group 1 2018–2020	Succeeded by Timothy J. Kott
Preceded by Jeffrey W. Hughes	Commander of the Navy Personnel Command and Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel 2021–2022	Succeeded by Wayne M. Baze
Preceded by Andrew A. Croft	Military Deputy Commander of the United States Southern Command 2023–2024	Succeeded by Evan Pettus
Preceded by Laura J. Richardson	Commander of the United States Southern Command 2024–2025	Succeeded by Evan Pettus Acting
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Randall Reed as Commander of U.S. Transportation Command	Order of precedence of the United States as Commander of U.S. Southern Command	Succeeded by William J. Hartman as acting Commander of U.S. Cyber Command