The abrupt resignation of Admiral Alvin Holsey as head of the United States Southern Command ( SOUTHCOM), less than a year in office, is shaking up the Latin American geopolitical scene and raising alarm bells in Argentina . This resignation, amid an intense military escalation by the Trump administration against Venezuela, raises a crucial question: Who will succeed Holsey, and what will their policy be toward an administration like Javier Milei's, which has opened the door to US military interference?

Holsey's departure comes amid heightened tensions. According to reports in The New York Times , the admiral expressed concern about the legality and ethics of the Pentagon's escalating attacks in the Caribbean, which are formally directed against drug trafficking but, in practice, seek to destabilize Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela . His resignation follows a purge of senior military officials who do not align with the radical agenda of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House.

The Southern Command and the key to Argentine sovereignty

For Argentina, Admiral Holsey is not just another name . His Southern Command has been the key military entity in the Milei administration's dizzying geopolitical realignment. Both Holsey and his predecessor, Laura Richardson, have openly pushed for a greater US military presence in Argentina, with an obsessive focus on the Ushuaia Naval Base, seen as the gateway to Antarctica and a strategic point for containing China.

Holsey's resignation takes on special significance following Milei's recent signing of Decree 697/2025 , which authorized the entry of U.S. troops into sensitive bases such as Ushuaia, Mar del Plata, and Puerto Belgrano , ignoring Congress and popular sentiment, which, according to polls, massively rejects this interference.

Milei's proposals to Southern Command —including a willingness to discuss the presence of U.S. forces in Ushuaia in exchange for financial assistance —have fueled a sovereignty scandal that has polarized the country . The outgoing SOUTHCOM chief had visited Ushuaia, where he inquired about the supply and maintenance of submarines, including nuclear-powered ones, for the U.S. Navy, demonstrating an interest that goes far beyond formal cooperation.

The risk of radicalization

The central concern in Argentina is who will succeed Holsey . Donald Trump 's entourage, characterized by his "America First" policy and open confrontation with China and Venezuela, could appoint a military officer with an even more radical vision of military and economic penetration in Latin America.

The Trump administration's rhetoric has already highlighted the region's vast natural resources (lithium, water, oil) and the need to eradicate Beijing's influence. The new SOUTHCOM chief, with the backing of a Pentagon willing to ignore lessons learned and the advice of its own military, could intensify pressure on Milei to formalize the transfer of the Ushuaia Naval Base and demand a complete break with China (including the cancellation of the swap and the dismantling of projects like the Radio Telescope in San Juan).

Holsey's resignation , amid the controversy over Milei's greeting to Kosovo (a British ally with troops in the Malvinas), accentuates the image of an Argentine government that has abdicated its traditional foreign policy to unconditionally align itself with a power demonstrating growing imperial arrogance and dangerous instability in its chain of command. The question for Argentina is whether the next head of Southern Command will bring with him an escalation that will further increase the cost of sovereignty in the far south of the continent.