Military Secretaries Issue a Dire Warning on Tommy Tuberville

Several military secretaries are warning that Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominations could have a "corrosive effect" on the armed services.

The Republican lawmaker has blocked promotions and nominations within the Department of Defense (DOD) for months, stating that his opposition is a form of protest of the Pentagon's policies on abortion access for service members. Tuberville has also claimed to have "deep concerns" about a few of the nominations in question and promised in late August to reveal which individuals he specifically opposes over the next few weeks.

Tuberville's actions have been denounced by the Pentagon, President Joe Biden and other senators on the Armed Services Committee. Confirming military nominations requires a unanimous vote from all members of the committee, giving Tuberville veto power.

In a Washington Post op-ed piece published Monday, three defense leaders—Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the U.S. Navy, Frank Kendall, secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and Christine Wormuth, secretary of the U.S. Army—accused Tuberville's protest of eroding the military force and advocated for the Pentagon's current abortion policies in light of the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

While federal agencies cannot pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk, service members can be reimbursed if they or their dependents have to travel to receive an abortion procedure outside of the state where they are stationed.

"Senators have many legislative and oversight tools to show their opposition to a specific policy," the secretaries wrote in the op-ed. "They are free to introduce legislation, gather support for that legislation and pass it.

"But placing 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," the op-ed continued. "And it is putting our national security at risk."

Steven Stafford, spokesperson for Tuberville, told Newsweek via email on Tuesday that it was "not news that Joe Biden's hand-picked civilian appointees are all parroting the party line."

"If these civilian Biden appointees want the service chiefs confirmed, then they can call [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer," Stafford added in his email. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, could choose to advance military nominations with a vote on the Senate floor, where his part holds a slim majority. But lawmakers claim that each nomination could take days to pass due to congressional procedures.

Officials say that roughly 301 generals and admirals have been left in limbo between positions in light of Tuberville's holds, NPR reported last week, and the Pentagon estimates that the number could rise to 650 by the end of the year.

Toro, Kendall and Wormuth also noted that three military branches—Army, Navy and Marine Corps—currently have no confirmed active chief, causing other officials "without the full range of legal authorities necessary to make the decisions that will sustain the United States' military edge."

"Across the services, many generals and admirals are being forced to perform two roles simultaneously," they wrote. "The strain of this double duty places a real and unfair burden on these officers, the organizations they lead and their families."

"Looking over the horizon, the prolonged uncertainty and political battles over these military nominations will have a corrosive effect on the force," the secretaries added.

Stafford told Newsweek that "contrary" to the op-ed, "the foundation of our military is not the people at the very top but the enlisted men and women who actually fight our wars."

"The Biden Administration has shown no concern about how they are eroding that foundation through their woke policies," he added.

Not all members of Tuberville's party seem to agree with his tactics as well. Alabama Representative Jerry Carl told Politico in July that some Republican lawmakers have "mixed emotions" on the subject.

"We believe that the vast majority of senators and of Americans across the political spectrum recognize the stakes of this moment and the dangers of politicizing our military leaders," the secretaries concluded their op-ed. "It is time to lift this dangerous hold and confirm our senior military leaders."

Update 09/05/23, 4:32 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Tuberville's press team.