General tapped to lead US operations in Latin America grilled over presence in region

The Marine Corps 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 Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's capture — but he doesn't know how long that enhanced focus will last. If confirmed by the Senate, Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan will take over U.S. Southern Command, replacing Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who retired last year amid increasing scrutiny over the Trump administration’s deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region, a remarkable extension of American power in Latin America. 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 seizure of sanctioned oil tankers connected to Venezuela.