Wednesday, July 12, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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Republican obstructionism is once again threatening national security for the sake of politics as, for the first time in more than 100 years, the U.S. Marine Corps is without a Senate-approved commanding officer.
Commandant General David Berger retired Monday after a distinguished 42-year career in military service that included combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and Kosovo. He also spearheaded Force Design 2030, a dramatic overhaul of the Marine Corps in preparation for potential conflict in the Pacific theater. He is well deserving of retirement, and we salute his service to the country.
However, we cannot salute the service of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the Alabama Republican currently leading a GOP effort to block U.S. military appointments and promotions from proceeding through the Senate confirmation process. Article I Section 8 of the Constitution makes the Senate responsible for confirming military officers who are nominated by the president.
President Joe Biden nearly two months ago fulfilled his oath of office by nominating current Assistant Commandant, General Eric Smith to fill the role of Marine commandant. Tuberville is blocking the confirmation, not because he is opposed to Smith as a nominee but because he is blocking all senior military nominations in protest of Pentagon policies that support servicemembers who travel out of state to receive an abortion.
As a result of his protest, Tuberville has now successfully blocked the promotion of more than 200 military commanders, generals and flag officers. That number is expected to grow rapidly in the coming months and by the end of the year will include at least half of the eight-member Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In addition to Berger’s retirement this week, Army Chief of Staff James McConville is set to retire in less than a month. Only one week later, the Navy’s top brass, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Giday, is set to step down. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, is required to retire Oct. 1.
In short, Tuberville’s obsession with imposing his politics on the entire country is putting national security at risk.
In a letter following Smith’s nomination in May, seven former U.S. defense secretaries argued that Tuberville’s hold was “harming military readiness and risks damaging U.S. national security.” The letter’s signatories include five current members of the Republican Party or people who were appointed by Republican presidents, including Trump’s appointees to the post, Gen. James Mattis and Mark Esper.
Yet Tuberville has repeatedly refused to lift the hold, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday that, “I’m a senator, I can hold any confirmation I want.” Tuberville later backtracked to an extent, claiming that he was only blocking “mass promotions” and that Biden can personally request any individual promotion be taken up on a case-by-case basis.
In other words, Tuberville will only fulfill his constitutional duties on a case-by-case basis and only if the president of the United States calls and begs. The gridlock suggested by this process is astounding, as is Tuberville’s sense of self-importance.
Tuberville also noted that he didn’t believe the arguments being made about risk to military readiness, given that the second in command of each service branch can be temporarily appointed as an “acting” commander without Senate approval.
This statement underscores Tuberville’s ignorance. Tuberville never served in the military and instead made millions of dollars standing on the sidelines as a college football coach. He is in no position to tell four-star generals what is, or is not, affecting military readiness.
Under current law, “acting” officers can assume certain limited command duties, but they cannot issue new or updated planning guidance or move into the office of the position for which they are serving without confirmation.
They also can’t appoint anyone to fill the position they are vacating, because officially, they are still serving in that role too. That means they’re responsible for all duties of two high-level command posts at the same time, without any additional pay or support, and only limited authority to make decisions. With a war waging in Ukraine and China saber rattling in the Pacific, Tuberville’s refusal to confirm one top-level commander is a recipe for disaster, let alone four top commanders and hundreds of other officers.
Tuberville’s holds also affect military families because without Senate confirmation, officers are unable to move their families to their new assignments or begin receiving pay raises that are associated with their elevated rank.
Military families already sacrifice so much for our country, they shouldn’t be asked to give more because Tuberville would rather engage in performative play politics than fulfill his obligations as a U.S. senator.
Our men and women in uniform are not political pawns to be used in petty political games being orchestrated by irresponsible GOP politicians. It’s disrespectful to our servicemembers and dangerous for our country.
Of course, this isn’t surprising. Tuberville is a rising star in a Republican Party that supported a presidential nominee who called prisoners of war “losers.” It’s the same party that advocates for abandoning Ukraine to the imperialist aspirations of Vladimir Putin and his friends in China, North Korea and Iran. And it’s the same party that still refuses to denounce a treasonous insurrection at the U.S. Capitol or disown the indicted former president who is an obvious danger to national security.
No, it’s not a surprise that members of the same GOP are now attempting to weaken the U.S. military while disrespecting its most accomplished members. Putin must be beaming with pride over his investments supporting Republicans who seek to tear America apart.
Sometimes we wonder if the entire GOP leadership is engaging in a strange and angry form of cosplay. They refuse to participate in governance and instead parade around in a vainglorious display of fury against America.
Congressional Republicans, including Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, should condemn Tuberville’s irresponsible gambit and demand that the Senate fulfill its obligations to the Constitution, to the country and to our men and women in uniform. Anything less is shameful.
