The one-star general commander in charge of Special Operations Command South was removed from command last year and retired at the rank of colonel, the Army said in a statement Thursday.
Brig. Gen. Sean Mulholland was removed from command by Adm. William McRaven; Mulholland retired May 1 in the lower grade of colonel after an Army Grade Determination Review Board, according to the Army statement.
Mulholland, who had assumed command of SOCSOUTH in October 2012, was removed from commandin August 2014.
At the time, the military reported that Mulholland had resigned for "health and personal reasons," according to the Washington Post, which first wrote about Mulholland's removal.
The Post story states Mulholland repeatedly became intoxicated in public, including during a deployment to Peru. The officer also got into altercations with civilians on two occasions last year after drinking at a golf club bar near his Florida headquarters, according to the Washington Post, citing military records.
In a short interview with the Washington Post, Mulholland said he had "some medical issues," including post-traumatic stress and a moderate case of traumatic brain injury. He further told the Post that his actions were triggered by a lack of sleep, before declining to further discuss the incidents.
Then-Brig. Gen. Sean P. Mulholland, commander of Special Operations Command South, shakes the hand of a Green Beret from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) on June 19, 2014, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Photo Credit: Spc. Steven Young/Army
Mulholland previously served as deputy operations director at U.S. Special Operations Command. He also served in Afghanistan, Colombia and Bosnia, and commanded 7th Special Forces Group.
Brig. Gen. Kurt Sonntag assumed command of SOCSOUTH after Mulholland's departure.
SOCSOUTH is responsible for special operations missions, operations and exercises in the U.S. Southern Command area of operation, which . This includes the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
When Mulholland was removed from command, t The Secretary of the Army is authorized to make retirement grade determinations involving general officers, according to the Army statement.
In this case, after considering the recommendation of an Army Grade Determination Review Board, Secretary John McHugh determined that Mulholland "last served satisfactorily at the grade of colonel," the Army said in its statement.
"This reduction in grade underscores the Army's commitment to holding senior leaders accountable and is consistent with Secretary McHugh's treatment of similar cases," the statement said.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
