Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing hold on military confirmations is impacting a number of senior military appointments in the Middle East, as the Pentagon moves to bolster its presence in the region amid the ongoing crisis in Israel.
And Tuberville is still not relenting, according to a spokesperson – not until the Pentagon revokes its policy of reimbursing service members for health care-related travel, which the senator has argued facilitates abortions.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on Sunday that he has ordered the US Navy’s Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean, near Israel. The USS Gerald Ford is the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier and it is being deployed to the area, along with a guided missile cruiser and four destroyers, as a deterrence measure, Austin said.
But Tuberville’s blockade means that the current commander of the US Navy’s 5th fleet – which is responsible for US naval operations in the Middle East region including the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman – is still awaiting promotion to deputy commander of US Central Command, which oversees US forces and operations in the region.
The deputy commanders of both 5th fleet and US Air Forces Central are also included in Tuberville’s hold, as well as CENTCOM’s deputy director of strategy, plans and policy.
Last month, after a procedural threat from Tuberville, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moved to have three key military promotions – the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Marine Corps commandant and the Army chief of staff – voted on separately rather than as part of a bloc of holds by Tuberville.
All three have since been confirmed, but Admiral Lisa Franchetti, nominated to serve as the chief of Naval Operations, is still awaiting confirmation and has been leading the service on an acting basis.
Pentagon leadership roles have had to be significantly reshuffled because of Tuberville’s hold. Many senior military officers are performing two jobs as they await promotion, and some key positions are being held by more junior officers because a more senior officer has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.