GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The outgoing Commander of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Admiral Alvin Holsey, has arrived here for a two-day visit, the US Embassy said in a statement.
It said that Holsey will meet with senior leaders to discuss “the longstanding U.S.-Guyana defense partnership, reaffirm U.S. support for Guyana’s territorial integrity, and collaborate to advance regional security and stability”.
He will meet with Prime Minister, retired Brigadier Mark Phillips, who is acting President, the Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, and senior leaders of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Coast Guard.
“The United States remains a steadfast partner in promoting a secure, prosperous, and sovereign Guyana, and in advancing shared goals for peace and stability across the broader Caribbean and South America,” the US Embassy statement said.
Last month, Holsey, who is overseeing the Pentagon’s escalating attacks against boats in the Caribbean Sea that the Donald Trump administration said are smuggling drugs, announced he was stepping down.
His resignation comes even as the Pentagon has rapidly built up some 10,000 forces in the region in what it says is a central counterdrug and counterterrorism mission. However, political observers say that the intention is to remove the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela.
His sudden resignation comes less than a year into what is typically a three-year job, with observers saying the 37-year veteran has raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats that have resulted in the deaths of several people.
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