WASHINGTON \u2014 Tommy Tuberville is digging deeper on his single-senator blockade, which has already stalled 301 U.S. military promotions, with aides saying his complaint now is compounded by liberal \u201cwoke\u201d sentiment among officers in line for top jobs in addition to his previous crusade against the Pentagon\u2019s abortion policies.<\/p>\n
The Alabama Republican\u2019s \u201chold\u201d on Senate confirmation votes could extend to as many as 650 promotions by year-end if it continues, drawing warnings of damage to the nation\u2019s military readiness by three civilian military leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlacing a blanket hold on all general and flag officer nominees, who as apolitical officials have traditionally been exempt from the hold process, is unfair to these military leaders and their families,\u201d Carlos Del Toro, the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Kendall, the Secretary of the Air Force and Christine Wormuth, the Secretary of the Army, wrote in the Washington Post on Monday. \u201cIt is putting our national security at risk,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s like \u201cgoing into the football season with a bunch of acting coaches,\u201d Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Tuesday in a metaphor fitting for Tuberville, who gained fame as a college football coach before winning election to the Senate.<\/p>\n
Tuberville has blocked military promotions for more than six months, insisting the Defense Department under President Joe Biden end a policy that lets personnel take leave and travel for abortion care or other reproductive health problems if it\u2019s unavailable in the states where they are stationed. The Pentagon has said the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion could make it even harder to keep talent and attract new service members.<\/p>\n
Now Tuberville\u2019s office is also citing claims by a conservative organization, the American Accountability Foundation, which describes itself as \u201ca team of professional investigators working non-stop to expose the left\u2019s secrets and hold Biden accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a thread on X, the media platform formerly known as Twitter, the organization identified officers up for promotion who have backed diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the military \u2014 or have said anything positive about those efforts. It served them up as examples of \u201cone of the WOKEST slates of military nominees ever assembled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defense officials have said Tuberville\u2019s holds are damaging readiness up and down the military ranks, saying officers serving in acting positions are typically not able to set a vision for their units and often must perform double duty in their old and new posts. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe military has been filling these vacant positions with temporary commanders, but those acting in a temporary capacity face limits on their authority,\u201d said Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow with the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. \u201cIn the short term, these holds are probably a manageable risk, but the long-term risks are growing, especially to officer morale and retention. More fundamentally, it further politicizes the military, with the potential for significant and lasting harm to civil-military relations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Culture Wars<\/p>\n
The showdown highlights how the U.S. military, which traditionally has had bipartisan support, increasingly finds itself embroiled in the culture wars gripping U.S. politics. The proportion of Americans who expressed a \u201cgreat deal\u201d of confidence in the military in June 2023 was 32%, down from 43% in 2013 and 48% in 2003, according to polling by Gallup. <\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could attempt to force through some of the stalled nominations, but Tuberville could mount procedural challenges that could consume several days for a single individual even as the chamber wrestles with daunting issues including funding the government to avoid a shutdown.<\/p>\n
\u2014With assistance from Tony Capaccio and Laura Litvan.<\/p>\n
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