Three military branches face leadership vacancies due to Senate deadlock.
Three branches of the U.S. military lack Senate-confirmed chiefs amid Pentagon standoff
Amid a standoff over Pentagon nominees in the upper chamber, three branches of the U.S. military are now operating without Senate-confirmed leaders. This unprecedented situation has raised concerns about national security implications and the reliance on acting leadership.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: “Starting today for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, three of our military services are operating without Senate confirmed leaders. This is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe.” pic.twitter.com/gkPfHbmyFt
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 14, 2023
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, ”This is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe.” He called on the Senate to end the deadlock and resolve the issue.
President Joe Biden nominated Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, but she has assumed command in an acting capacity. Similar positions are held by leaders in the Marine Corps and the Army.
One more down as CNO Gilday relinquished command this morning.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today this is the first time in DOD history three services are without a Senate-confirmed chief. pic.twitter.com/2tbO6A5Wry
— Haley Britzky (@halbritz) August 14, 2023
The bottleneck leading to this situation can be traced back to February when Sen. Tommy Tuberville placed a “hold” on general and flag officer nominations. This was in protest of a Pentagon policy allowing female service members expense-paid travel and up to three weeks leave for an elective abortion, which Tuberville claims is illegal.
Tuberville has objected to the Senate quickly approving nominations in batches through a “unanimous consent” agreement. Despite pushback, he denies that his hold is hurting military readiness and argues that individual nominations can still be approved through regular order if necessary.
Democrats argue that getting through the backlog with individual votes would be time-consuming and could paralyze the Senate. Hundreds of military confirmations have been held up so far, according to the Department of Defense.
One leader who could soon be caught up in the impasse is Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., Biden’s nominee to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Mark Milley’s term is set to expire in October.
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