President Donald Trump’s top diplomat for Africa, Ambassador Troy Fitrell, will retire from the State Department at the end of the month after more than three decades of service. Fitrell, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Guinea and held multiple senior roles across the continent, has been leading the Bureau of African Affairs while the assistant secretary post remains unfilled. He will be succeeded by Jonathan Pratt, the bureau’s principal deputy assistant secretary and former U.S. ambassador to Djibouti. The State Department praised Fitrell’s “long and distinguished career,” noting his role in guiding a shift toward greater commercial engagement in U.S. policy toward Africa.
Fitrell’s departure comes as another major figure leaves the Trump administration. Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, announced he will also retire despite overseeing one of the Pentagon’s largest recent operations. Holsey had been responsible for intensified U.S. missions targeting alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, supported by roughly 10,000 deployed U.S. troops. His sudden exit, less than a year into a typical three-year term, has raised questions among officials who say he expressed concerns about both the mission and broader regional policy.
Holsey’s retirement follows reporting that the Trump administration authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela and is considering possible military escalation. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Holsey’s 37 years of service but did not address reports of internal disagreements. The administration has defended its expanded Caribbean operations as necessary for national security amid rising overdose deaths, positioning them as part of a broader counterdrug and counterterror effort in the region.