(WASHINGTON) After the Army and Marines, the US Navy is now the third branch of the US military without a leader, and their nomination has been blocked by a Republican Senator because of his opposition to abortion.
Admiral Mike Gilday resigned as US Navy chief on Monday, and his designated successor, Lisa Franchitti, has yet to be confirmed in her position by the US Senate.
But Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville has for months deliberately blocked hundreds of nominations for military posts. The Republican opposes the Pentagon’s policy of financial assistance for service members who need to travel for abortions, as states stripped abortion rights after a Supreme Court ruling last year.
PHOTO STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH, Associate Press Archives
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville
The Senate can bypass this filibuster by taking a vote on each nomination, but the process then becomes much longer than the usual procedure of approving them unanimously, without a vote.
“Because of this broad shutdown, which began today and for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, three of our branches are operating without a Senate-approved leader,” said the US Secretary of State. Defense Lloyd Austin Monday morning during Mike Gilday’s passing ceremony.
“It is unprecedented, unnecessary and dangerous,” he added.
The Secretary of State for the Navy called on the Senate to act.
“Failure to do so would contribute to a further deterioration in our level of preparedness and even risk lives [de nos marins] “By not letting our most experienced warriors drive,” said Carlos del Toro at the same ceremony.
Admiral Lisa Franchitti, the current No. 2 and the first woman called to command the U.S. Navy, will combine the two positions and serve as an interim.
Army and Marine Corps leaders are in the same position, and concern is growing as Mark Milley, the chief of staff at the helm of the entire US Army, navigates.
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