MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Holsey to take over from Richardson as SOUTHCOM Chief

Holsey will be the first African-American SOUTHCOM Chief

US Army four-star General Laura J. Richardson is to be replaced as Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Chief by her current second-in-command US Navy Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey, who is to be promoted to full Admiral for his new role, it was announced this week.

Richardson, who took over at SOUTHCOM on Oct. 29, 2021, will retire after more than four decades of military service as a decorated Army officer and distinguished aviator that included leadership roles in various assignments from the Company to the Theater level, as well as deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Richardson's career also included assignments as Military Aide to the Vice President at the White House, Chief of Army Legislative Liaison to the US Congress in Washington, D.C., and as a US Army campaign planner at the Pentagon. She became the first woman general to lead the US combatant command. Under her leadership, SOUTHCOM conducted numerous operations directly supporting regional security, increased security cooperation with regional defense and security partners, and optimized its multinational exercise program to strengthen the region's collective security capacity and bolster interoperability.

Holsey will become the first African American to lead SOUTHCOM since the organization assumed its mission more than six decades ago. The US Senate confirmed Holsey's presidential nomination on Sept. 24.

A Georgia native, Holsey was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program at Morehouse College in 1988, where he received a degree in Computer Science. In 1995, he earned a Master of Science in Management from Troy State University, and in 2010, he attended the Joint Forces Staff College.

Holsey, now 59, previously made history as the inaugural commander of the International Maritime Security Construct / Coalition Task Force Sentinel, tasked with ensuring freedom of navigation, adherence to international law, free flow of commerce, and the stability of maritime commons in the Middle East. His career assignments include tours 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.

SOUTHCOM is one of the nation's six geographically focused unified commands. The command is responsible for US defense and security cooperation with partner nations in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.