A Shakeup in the Senior Command

A Shakeup in the Senior Command

The admiral heading the US southern command abruptly resigned. Admiral Alvin Holsey who was on the job less than a year announced his retirement. The impression is that the admiral was not totally on board with the administration’s war on Venezuela and the bombing of the drug runners. This is ironic to me because when I first saw his name, that of Admiral Bull Halsey came to mind. Bull Halsey was the rare 5 star admiral during World War II and commanded the aircraft carrier Enterprise and was the fleet commander in the South Pacific. Somehow I don’t think Bull Halsey would have resigned like Alvin Holsey.

Holsey’s tweet to the troops and sailors regarding the resignation said “The SOUTHCOM team has made lasting contributions to the defense of our nation and will continue to do so. I am confident that you will forge ahead, focused on your mission that strengthens our nation and ensures its longevity as a beacon of freedom around the globe.” Defense secretary Hegseth will undoubtedly find an admiral eager to take command and execute the president’s wishes regarding the actions in the eastern Caribbean. 

On a personal level I have deep feelings regarding Admiral Holsey and had pride in his elevation to the Southern Command. The admiral was from Fort Valley, Georgia home of my mother’s alma mater, Fort Valley State University. He graduated from Morehouse College which is located in my home zip code in Atlanta. Morehouse offered me (and my brother) early admission scholarships during our high school years. Our pastor was on the Morehouse faculty and I would have gone and been a “Morehouse man” if not for the University of Georgia.

Hegseth’s tweet was “On behalf of the Department of War, we extend our deepest gratitude to Admiral Alvin Holsey for his more than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation as he plans to retire at year’s end. A native of Fort Valley, Georgia, Admiral Holsey has exemplified the highest standards of naval leadership since his commissioning through the NROTC program at Morehouse College in 1988.”

Nonetheless, it is not surprising that the entire warrior class is not on board with the operation against Venezuela. The Wall Street Journal reports that inside the Pentagon some have raised concerns on the basis for the strikes and their legality. Some have written their concerns well as the legal implications for military personnel. I personally hope that these officers and civilian personnel are not fired because differences of opinions should always be tolerated. But it is equally important that the senior officers faithfully execute the commands of their bosses – or else resign. Thie is the old conundrum of “my country right or wrong.” Do you in good conscience obey orders that are contrary to your core beliefs. Of course the extreme would be troops ordered to execute crimes against humanity. But that is not the case here.

Running parallel to Holsey’s retirement was Chairman Xi’s firing of China’s number two general, He Weidong, along with eight other high ranking officers. General He was a vice chairman of China’s top military command and a member of the Politburo and was dismissed from the party and the military for “severe disciplinary violations and abuses of power.” He and the others will be court martialed. What is interesting and somewhat parallel to the dismissal of high ranking officers by Hegseth is that Xi feels that China’s senior command has gotten complacent and its military is not combat ready. Xi has replaced dozens of generals with officers that he considers to be more professional and politically reliable. He also overhauled the military’s command structure to put himself more firmly in control. His avowed goal is to modernize his military and to create a more nimble, 21st-century force that can integrate air, sea and land operations, project power and wage war in the digital age.

Doesn’t that sound familiar? Didn’t Hegseth and the president say as much when they called in all those senior officers to a come to Jesus meeting at Quantico?