President Donald Trump appointed Marine Major General Francis L. Donovan as head of Southern Command for Latin America, the Pentagon said. The new assignment coincides with the president's statement, in which he affirmed that he does not rule out a war with Venezuela. Major Donovan is the current deputy commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, according to the Department of Defense. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Admiral Alvin Holsey, who announced in mid-October that he would leave his post on December 12 to "retire," DW reported. Admiral Holsey criticized, according to the press, the attacks against alleged drug-trafficking boats off the coast of Venezuela. According to the New York Times, which cites Defense officials, the admiral “was concerned” about the decision to attack those boats.

More than 100 dead in attacks on drug boats

Washington has deployed a significant military force in the Caribbean and the Pacific, where it has bombed vessels it attributes to alleged drug traffickers, the latest on Thursday, which killed five crew members.

The attacks have already left more than 100 dead, according to an AFP tally based on official information. Venezuela denounces a plot to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro and seize its oil.

In a statement published Friday on the Pentagon website, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Trump nominated Marine Corps Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan “to head the United States Southern Command (SouthCom).” The command is responsible for Central and South America, as well as some Caribbean territories, DW reported.

“Criminal terrorist groups”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a press conference where he said that “the most significant threat in the region is these criminal terrorist groups; it is the threat facing Colombia, the root of the violence in Ecuador, in Mexico, throughout Central America,” Rubio stated in Spanish.

Furthermore,He made it clear that “Venezuela has an illegitimate regime that simply does not cooperate with the U.S., but rather openly cooperates with criminal elements. For example, the ELN and the FARC openly cooperate from Venezuelan territory,” he asserted at the conference.

Who is Major General Donovan?

Francis L. Donovan graduated with a degree in Geography from Towson University. He holds a Master of Arts in Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

The Major General currently serves as Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Division. Donovan has led Marines and sailors in all three operational Marine Expeditionary Forces, including command of a Force Reconnaissance Platoon, a Battalion Landing Team, a Marine Expeditionary Unit, and a Marine Expeditionary Brigade. He has served in combat, contingency, and expeditionary operations at sea, from sea, and from land.