Evan L. Pettus

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen., Acting Commander of U.S. Southern Command

Appears in 1 story

Born: Fayetteville

Education: United States Air Force Academy, Bellevue University, Air Force Institute of Technology

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

Stories

SOUTHCOM makes lethal boat strikes a public show: three vessels hit, eight killed in the Eastern Pacific

Force in Play

Continuing as acting SOUTHCOM commander as the White House nominates a permanent commander and the strike campaign’s oversight fight intensifies

The U.S. military's boat-strike campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific has run for more than a year. An independent tally counted 72 strikes and at least 240 deaths by the Oct. 27 attack, which killed five people on a go-fast vessel in the eastern Pacific.

Updated Oct 28