According to a report, the nomination of a new Marine Commandant and up to 270 other military personnel eligible for advancement have been blocked by Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville. He has said that he would not support the nominations unless the Pentagon stops funding military personnel travel to have abortions.
Nominations for promotions in the armed forces need the unanimous approval of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Each nominee would take many days to approve owing to the Congressional process, even if Senate Leader Chuck Schumer were to move them with votes on the Senate floor.
The departing Marine Commandant General David Berger noted on Monday that he implored the Senate to do what they are supposed to do. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters The lack of confirmed officers had become a challenge in the Indo-Pacific.
Republican and Armed Services Committee member Senator Mike Rounds has cast doubt on how much trouble Tuberville’s blockage is genuinely causing. According to Rounds’s conversation with Tuberville, the DOD has not contacted the Alabama native since February to discuss the matter.
According to a report, to pressure Defense Secretary Mark Esper into promoting Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who is suspected of having communicated with the alleged “whistleblower” that led to Trump’s impeachment, Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth threatened in 2020 to halt the promotion process of 1,123 senior military officers.
Promotions were on hold for all officers beyond the colonel level, with the exception of the Pentagon’s choice for chief operational officer.
Duckworth’s remarks coincided with a rumor from a leftist activist journal that Joe Biden, the then-Democrat frontrunner for 2020, was considering selecting Tammy Duckworth as his running mate.
Esper was placed in a difficult position by Duckworth’s action. After openly opposing the use of active duty soldiers to quell violent riots killing dozens of people in reaction to the murder of George Floyd, Esper had been on fragile ground with Trump.
