Tuberville's hold on military promotions is undermining national security, defense secretary says

Sen. Tommy Tuberville has repeatedly insisted that his block on all military promotions isn’t affecting military readiness. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says differently.

CNN reports that, in an Aug. 2 memo on how the military can keep leadership roles filled despite the blockade, Austin wrote that the “unprecedented, across-the-board hold is having a cascading effect, increasingly hindering the normal operations of this Department and undermining both our military readiness and our national security.” Both the Army and the Marines currently lack confirmed leaders, as does the Missile Defense Agency.

Austin’s memo laid out steps for keeping roles filled to the extent possible, although, “I understand that these steps will not end or offset the risk to our readiness or our global leadership position. Nor will they resolve the uncertainty and stress inflicted upon our general and flag officers and their families, or alleviate the worries rippling further down our ranks.”

All of this is over Tuberville’s opposition to a Pentagon policy reimbursing service members and their families for travel expenses if they need to leave the state where they’re stationed to get abortion care. White House national security spokesman John Kirby recently explained why that policy matters for military readiness.