According to news outlets such as ABC and Reuters, in the context of U.S. military strikes on so-called ¡°drug trafficking vessels¡± in the Caribbean and escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela, U.S. Defense Secretary Hughes announced on 16 December that the Southern Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in Latin America, will retire at the end of this year.

According to reports, this announcement came less than a year after Holsey took office. He was appointed commander of U.S. Southern Command in November 2024 and is a four-star general. The British "Guardian" mentioned that the term of this position is usually three years. Reuters called Horsey's retirement an "unexpected" move, while many media such as Political News Network called it "sudden".

According to the report, neither Hegseth nor Horsey disclosed the reasons for their retirement. At the same time, according to The New York Times, Horsey had expressed concern about the military's attack on the so-called "drug trafficking ship". Reuters quoted sources as saying that in the days before the announcement of this decision, Hegseth and Horsey had been tense over the actions of the United States in the Caribbean and whether Horsey should be dismissed.

Reuters mentioned that the background of Horsey's departure was that as the U.S. government escalates its confrontation with the Venezuelan government, the United States is strengthening its military deployment in the Caribbean, including the deployment of U.S. missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6500 soldiers.

Reuters also said that the U.S. military strike on so-called "drug ships" in the waters off Venezuela has killed at least 27 people, raising concerns among some legal experts and most Democratic lawmakers who question whether the actions comply with the laws of war.

Jack Reed, Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate Military Committee, said, given growing concerns about a possible U.S.-Venezuela conflict, Holly¡¯s unexpected withdrawal is disturbing, and as U.S. troops are concentrating in the Caribbean waters and tensions with Venezuela peak, our departure of the supreme military commander in the region sends a worrying signal that there is instability within the command system.

Recently, the U.S. has deployed several warships in the Caribbean. Since September, the Trump administration has claimed to sink five so-called ¡°drug ships¡± in the international waters of Venezuela¡¯s outer seas and kill 27 ¡°drug traffickers¡±. According to several informed U.S. officials, the Trump administration has so far failed to submit firm evidence to Congress that the ships that the U.S. military strikes are indeed ¡°drug ships.¡± On October 15, Trump confirmed that it had authorized the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to carry out covert operations in Venezuela. On the same day, the administration accused the U.S. of violating international law and the United Nations Charter, whose ultimate purpose was to seize the Commission¡¯s oil resources.