southern Command Commander Addressesโ Troops Deployed Against Caribbean Drug Cartels
A โขrecently released video shows U.S.Southern Command Commander Alvin Holsey delivering a message to service members aboard the USS Iwo Jima,โข currently deployed in the Caribbean.The deployment is focused on counteringโฃ drug cartels operating in the region, including the Cartel of the Suns, which the previous administration โขdesignated as a terrorist organization.
Commanderโฃ holsey visitedโฃ the Iwo Jima on Wednesday toโค observeโค operations and reinforce the โฃcommand’s priorities:โค dismantling โdrug trafficking networks and safeguarding national security. โIn the video,โ he expressed gratitude to the troops for their service.
“Today I want to come aboard just to sayโข thank you,” Holsey stated. “I am honoredโ to be aboard theโข Iwo โtoday, which carries with โขit a proud legacyโ that symbolizes American courage, sacrifice and determination. Ordinary people don’t understand what we do, and I โขtell โคthem โฃthat what we do โฃis diffrent.We aspire โto their greatness and beleive in their teamwork.”
Holsey emphasizedโ the combat readiness of the Southern Command and its core mission. “To be clear, we are a combat organization. โOur most fundamental duty โis to support andโฃ defend the Constitution and ensure the safetyโ and securityโข ofโฃ the โamerican people. And the team that is โhereโข is the epitome of a lethal combat force andโ a โlethal combat team,” he declared.
Reflectingโข on his 37โ years of service, Holsey expressed pride in serving alongside “some โฃof America’s best.” he concluded with a direct challenge toโ the troops: “As you move forward, I will tell you thatโ I expect youโ to actโฃ with professionalism, determination and precision.Be strong, be bold and fight.”
To date, operations conducted by the Southern Command, in collaboration withโ the U.S. War Department and other agencies, have resultedโ in the apprehension of โnearly 70 suspected drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
