New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- US Navy Admiral Admiral Alvin Holsey, the military commander overseeing the Pentagon's intensifying operations against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea, announced on Thursday that he would be stepping down.

Holsey, who leads US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)-responsible for military operations across Central and South America-has been at the helm during the rapid deployment of approximately 10,000 personnel as part of what the Pentagon describes as a significant counterdrug and counterterrorism campaign.

His decision comes less than a year into a post that typically spans three years and coincides with what many regard as the most substantial operation of his 37-year military career. The reasons f...