Pentagon Shifts Focus to Covert Ops with New Southern Command Appointment
Reuters reports that the appointment of Frank Donovan as the new head of the U.S. Southern Command reflects a shift in the Pentagon’s focus toward expanding covert operations in Latin America.
According to the report, U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Frank Donovan, currently the deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), to lead the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees U.S. military forces in Latin America and the Caribbean. The move follows the early retirement of the previous commander.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Admiral Alvin Holsey, the former commander, stepped down two years before his scheduled retirement under pressure from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Donovan’s nomination requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate, as per legal procedure.
Reuters notes that Donovan’s background in special operations indicates the Pentagon’s increasing emphasis on clandestine missions in Latin America. His appointment comes after Trump also selected a top military officer with special operations experience to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Trump administration’s new national security strategy stresses a revival of the Monroe Doctrine and aims to strengthen U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. A key goal of this policy is to curb China’s access to vital resources and military facilities in the region.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has stepped up economic, political, and military pressure on leftist governments in Latin America. Washington has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean, especially near the Venezuelan border, targeting passing vessels under the pretext of counter-narcotics operations.
These actions have drawn domestic criticism in the United States, with several members of Congress—even from the Republican Party—questioning the legitimacy of Pentagon attacks on vessels in the Caribbean.
