The Defense Department is urgently working with lawmakers in hopes of resolving a hold on critical military nominations, including for some of the most senior ranking officers, as concerns inside the Pentagon grow about the potential impact on national security, defense officials told CNN.
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville has single-handedly blocked the nominations to protest new Pentagon policies ensuring service members have access to reproductive health care following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. Tuberville first threatened to put a hold on DOD nominees in December, and followed through in March.
Tuberville’s objection has thrown a wrench in what is usually a routine Senate maneuver in which hundreds of military nominations are confirmed all at once under a process known as unanimous consent. If Tuberville continues to hold out, the Senate would have to vote on hundreds of Pentagon nominations one at a time — a process that a Democratic Senate aide said could take a year to get through.
“This political showmanship could have a serious impact on our military readiness, on our military forces, and on our national security,” a National Security Council spokesman told CNN.
Among the more than 180 nominations pending right now are some of the military’s most critical positions, including the commanders of 7th Fleet, in the Indo-Pacific, and 5th Fleet, which is part of Naval Forces Central Command. It also includes the military representative to NATO, at a critical time with the war in Ukraine.
The Senate approves tens of thousands of civilian and military nominations every year.
In total, roughly 650 general and flag officers will require Senate confirmation by the end of the year, according to a senior defense official, including three of the four current military service chiefs, as well as…
Read the full article here