{"id":48254,"date":"2026-01-16T13:38:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T13:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:28:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:28:55","slug":"general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/\">Marine Corps<\/a> general tapped to lead U.S. military operations in Latin America told lawmakers Thursday that he stands ready to oversee an expanded presence that began ahead of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/06\/this-was-surgical-the-tactics-behind-the-maduro-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/06\/this-was-surgical-the-tactics-behind-the-maduro-mission\/\">Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s capture<\/a> \u2014 but he doesn\u2019t know how long that enhanced focus will last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If confirmed by the Senate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/12\/22\/trump-nominates-new-head-of-southcom-to-lead-strikes-near-venezuela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/12\/22\/trump-nominates-new-head-of-southcom-to-lead-strikes-near-venezuela\/\">Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan<\/a> will take over U.S. Southern Command, replacing Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who retired last year amid increasing scrutiny over the Trump administration\u2019s deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region, a remarkable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/10\/where-trump-has-threatened-to-strike-next\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/10\/where-trump-has-threatened-to-strike-next\/\">extension of American power<\/a> in Latin America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. troops earlier this month deposed and apprehended Maduro, the culmination of a pressure campaign that began with the largest military buildup in the region in generations and expanded to dozens of attacks on boats accused of smuggling drugs and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/15\/us-seizes-sixth-sanctioned-tanker-it-says-has-ties-to-venezuela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/15\/us-seizes-sixth-sanctioned-tanker-it-says-has-ties-to-venezuela\/\">seizure of sanctioned oil tankers<\/a> connected to Venezuela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats and Sen. Angus King, a Maine Independent, pressed Donovan for details on how he would oversee Southern Command and for the broad outline of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/15\/department-of-war-rebrand-could-cost-up-to-125-million-cbo-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/15\/department-of-war-rebrand-could-cost-up-to-125-million-cbo-says\/\">Trump administration\u2019s<\/a> long-term plans for the region. Donovan, however, said he didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo, you don\u2019t know what the plan is now? You don\u2019t know why all those ships and aircraft and soldiers are there?\u201d King asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSenator, I do not,\u201d Donovan said, explaining that he isn\u2019t involved in military plans for the region in his current role as vice commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Donovan acknowledged that the renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to the Southern Command, which is headquartered in Doral, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo you expect, because of this pivot to the Western Hemisphere, that SOUTHCOM this year is going to have to be much different than SOUTHCOM last year?\u201d asked Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes I do,\u201d Donovan replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Service Committee was the latest effort by some lawmakers to question the Trump administration over its military operations in Latin America and its justification for the boat strikes, which have prompted concerns about international law and the use of force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers also questioned Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, nominated to lead the National Security Agency, over his views on surveillance and concerns that the NSA could be used against innocent Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst, said she worries that the Trump administration could order the NSA to spy on Americans because of their political views or speech, something she said is expressly forbidden by federal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWill you reject that?\u201d asked Slotkin, who is one of several Democratic lawmakers who say they face criminal investigation by the Trump administration after appearing in a video urging service members to resist illegal orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSenator, if confirmed, I will execute my responsibilities in accordance with the Constitution and all applicable laws,\u201d Rudd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The NSA has been without a permanent director since Trump fired Gen. Tim Haugh last year. The NSA director also runs the Pentagon\u2019s Cyber Command, giving it a critical role in the nation\u2019s defensive and offensive cyber capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers from both parties said they expect the nominations to be approved. A vote has not been announced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":109810,"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":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,29,36,19,103],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2517],"class_list":["post-48254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-newsletters","category-pentagon","category-surface-navy-association"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WPPNPSJ6D5GILOEUP5JE3ZEHT4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/","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>General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T13:38:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T16:28:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Klepper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Klepper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-16T13:38:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T16:28:55+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 553,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/donovan.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Digital Show Dailies\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon\",\n\t                \"Surface Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/donovan.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-16T13:38:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T16:28:55+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/donovan.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/donovan.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/16\\\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/pentagon\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America - Defense News","description":"Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America","og_description":"Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2026-01-16T13:38:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T16:28:55+00:00","author":"David Klepper","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Klepper","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America","datePublished":"2026-01-16T13:38:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T16:28:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/"},"wordCount":553,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donovan.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Digital Show Dailies","Newsletters","Pentagon","Surface Navy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/","name":"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donovan.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-16T13:38:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T16:28:55+00:00","description":"Renewed interest in Latin America is likely to bring changes to U.S. Southern Command, Donovan acknowledged.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donovan.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donovan.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/01\/16\/general-tapped-to-lead-southcom-grilled-over-forces-in-latin-america\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pentagon","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/","ad_zone":"pentagon"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"General tapped to lead SOUTHCOM grilled over forces in Latin America"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donovan.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48254"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48257,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48254\/revisions\/48257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48254"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=48254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}