{"id":83643,"date":"2026-02-03T02:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T02:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/02\/03\/senate-approves-donovan-as-us-southern-command-head\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:33:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:33:47","slug":"senate-approves-donovan-as-us-southern-command-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/02\/03\/senate-approves-donovan-as-us-southern-command-head\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate approves Donovan as US Southern Command head"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Editor\u2019s note: This report has been updated to reflect Donovan previously served as vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan was confirmed by the Senate as the next leader of U.S. Southern Command, assuming the four-star post as the Trump administration seeks to reassert American military dominance in the Western Hemisphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donovan was approved by voice vote Friday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His 37-year career spans infantry, reconnaissance and special operations, during which he has led Marines and sailors in all three Marine Expeditionary Forces, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socom.mil\/about\/vice-commanders-biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.socom.mil\/about\/vice-commanders-biography\">the military said.<\/a> Until recently, he served as the vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The previous commander, Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, relinquished duties Dec. 12, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecWar\/status\/1978909290363551896?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecWar\/status\/1978909290363551896?s=20\">wrote in a post on X.<\/a> Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus served as acting commander of SOUTHCOM after his departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2025\/12\/12\/us-admiral-overseeing-military-operations-in-latin-america-retires\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25346615418183.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US admiral overseeing military operations in Latin America retires<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Adm. Alvin Holsey&#039;s retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administration\u2019s strikes on suspected drug boats.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Donovan\u2019s confirmation hearing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armed-services.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/donovan_opening_statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.armed-services.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/donovan_opening_statement.pdf\">in January,<\/a> Donovan pledged \u201cto protect America\u2019s vital national interests, deter war, and if necessary, win them quickly and decisively.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donovan is set to lead the Pentagon\u2019s maritime operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Since early September, President Donald Trump has authorized more than three dozen strikes targeting vessels that are allegedly linked to drug trafficking. The attacks have killed at least 116 people, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/11\/06\/a-list-of-us-military-strikes-against-alleged-drug-carrying-vessels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/11\/06\/a-list-of-us-military-strikes-against-alleged-drug-carrying-vessels\/\">data compiled by Military Times.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a critic of the president for not providing lawmakers with the legal basis for bombing the vessels, pressed Donovan on how he would react to \u201cconcerns about illegal orders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIs it sedition for someone in the military to question whether an order is illegal?\u201d Warren asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donovan replied, \u201cI\u2019ve received many orders over time, and when I ever have faced a situation where I need to seek clarity, I ask our headquarters to clarify the task.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that he would later present his thoughts to higher headquarters \u201cfor their consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House maintains that the strikes are consistent with the law of armed conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The confirmation takes place <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/26\/trumps-new-national-defense-strategy-downgrades-china-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/26\/trumps-new-national-defense-strategy-downgrades-china-threat\/\">amid a broader shift<\/a> in the Pentagon\u2019s strategy. The 2026 National Defense Strategy, released last month, outlined a renewed emphasis on American military dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Trump has branded this approach the \u201cDonroe Doctrine,\u201d a revival of the 19th-century edict that warns Europe against encroachment in the Western Hemisphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe will guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain, especially the Panama Canal, Gulf of America, and Greenland,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2026\/Jan\/23\/2003864773\/-1\/-1\/0\/2026-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2026\/Jan\/23\/2003864773\/-1\/-1\/0\/2026-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY.PDF\">the blueprint said<\/a>, adding, \u201cWe will provide President Trump with credible military options to use against narco-terrorists wherever they may be.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donovan comes from a family <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socom.mil\/about\/vice-commanders-biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.socom.mil\/about\/vice-commanders-biography\">steeped in military service<\/a>. His wife is a former Navy officer, and their children are active-duty Marines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan assumes the post as the Trump administration seeks to reassert U.S. military dominance in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":68,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,12,25,68],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3416],"class_list":["post-83643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"XRF42HPBXFHSHDPGM7B3UOUUKU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/02\/03\/senate-approves-donovan-as-us-southern-command-head\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Senate approves Donovan as US Southern Command head - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marine Corps Lt. 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