[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5300-S5310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUESTS--EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued

  Ms. ERNST. Madam President, our next nomination is a fine officer 
serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Our colleague from Alaska, 
Col. Dan Sullivan, also serves in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. I will 
read a little bit about this gentleman, and we will take an individual 
vote on the floor this evening, I am hoping, because this gentleman 
does deserve to be promoted and placed into his next position.
  So this gentleman is Maj. Gen. Leonard F. Anderson IV, U.S. Marine 
Corps Reserve, to be Lieutenant General and Commander of Marine Forces 
Reserves, Commander Marine Forces, South.
  So here is a little bit about the good General. The Major General 
most recently served as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine 
Aircraft Wing. He does have some prior experience as well in serving as 
the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations, 
but Major General Anderson also served in a marine aviation logistics 
squadron. So it is interesting that the Executive Calendar number for 
Maj. Gen. Leonard F. Anderson is 248 as I also--not in the Marines, but 
I served in an aviation support battalion, which is a logistics 
battalion, supporting aviation, the 248th Aviation Support Battalion. 
This gentleman has

[[Page S5301]]

served in the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron, and his experience 
has allowed him to support those men and women who are in the air, 
similar to the circumstance we talked about prior with a pilot who 
provided close air support during combat. These are the guys and gals 
who keep those aircraft up, flying, fueled, maintained--ready to go.
  So this is an important position he is going into. It is the Marine 
Forces Reserves, Commander Marine Forces South, and I am hoping we will 
be able to take a vote on him this evening.
  Therefore, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following 
nomination: Executive Calendar No. 248, Leonard F. Anderson IV to be 
Lieutenant General and Commander Marine Forces Reserves Commander, 
Marine Forces South; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. OK, Madam President. We are just going to keep going. We 
have quite a few exceptional men and women who are proud to defend our 
glorious Nation. Many of them, again, have served in combat. We just 
came out of 20 years of the Global War on Terror, and we know what 
service is. Many of us know what service is. The Presiding Officer--her 
father certainly knew what service was, so I thank him very much for 
his service to our Nation.
  So we will proceed to Executive Calendar No. 262, Timothy D. Haugh. I 
apologize to the gentleman if I am mispronouncing his name. It is H-A-
U-G-H. He is a member of the U.S. Air Force, and he has been nominated 
to be the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National 
Security Agency.
  At a time when we see many nations around the world using grey-zone 
techniques to infiltrate various infrastructures in the United States 
of America and that of allied nations, we know how important Cyber 
Command is to protect not only our military assets but then to track 
and push back against those foreign agents who are going after civilian 
infrastructure as well.
  Lieutenant General Haugh's 32-year career has been exemplary, and he 
has commanded intelligence and cyber commands at every level as the 
Commander of 16th Air Force, Air Forces Cyber, and Joint Force 
Headquarters-Cyber, where he was responsible for more than 44,000 
personnel conducting worldwide operations.
  The Lieutenant General most recently served as Deputy Commander of 
U.S. Cyber Command. Anyone, if they are paying attention, understands 
how important Cyber Command is. Again, the Lieutenant General has 
served as the Deputy Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. We would love to 
see him confirmed this very evening, with a single vote, into the 
position of Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and Director of the National 
Security Agency--an extremely important position.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Executive Calendar No. 262, Timothy D. Haugh, to be Commander, U.S. 
Cyber Command, and Director of our National Security Agency; that the 
Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and 
that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Reed). Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, our next nominee as well is hoping to be 
confirmed this evening, again, by an individual vote on the floor of 
the U.S. Senate. Just as my colleague has asked, has demanded, my 
colleagues and I this evening are attempting to satisfy that demand for 
single votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate. We are providing that 
avenue of opportunity this evening and are hoping that we will see the 
confirmations of some of America's finest fighting men and women, who 
have absolutely nothing to do with the policy that has been proposed by 
Secretary Lloyd Austin.
  In front of us, we have MG Charles D. Costanza. He is a member of the 
U.S. Army. He is being nominated as Lieutenant General and Commanding 
General of V Corps.
  Over Major General Costanza's 32-year career--again, another plus 30 
years of experience and decorations during war--he has served as the 
Commanding General of the 3rd Infantry Division, the Deputy Chief of 
Staff for U.S. Army Forces Command, and the Director of Training for 
the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff. Major General Costanza's 
deployments include to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. 
Major General Costanza has most recently served as Special Assistant to 
the Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command.
  Once again, as an individual vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for 
the consideration of the following nomination of this fine individual: 
Executive Calendar No. 290, Charles D. Costanza to be Lieutenant 
General and Commanding General, V Corps; that the Senate vote on the 
nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, 
the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and 
the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. OK. We will move on to the next conferee, and we will 
bring to the table now No. 291, James H. Adams III to be Lieutenant 
General, and this is a fellow marine.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. ``Oorah.''
  Ms. ERNST. ``Oorah.''
  OK. A fellow marine.
  To my good friend and colleague, Col. Dan Sullivan, Senator Sullivan 
of Alaska, we have Maj. Gen. James H. Adams III to be Lieutenant 
General and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources Headquarters 
of U.S. Marine Corps.
  Brigadier General Hanson has most recently served as the Mobilization 
Assistant to the Director of Operations for Air Combat Command. A 
number of us who serve in the Senate have worn the uniform of our 
Nation and have deployed, and we understand how important these 
activities are, especially when you have a good friend at Mobilization 
and Operations for Air Combat Command.
  Through the mobilization process, there are a lot of logistics there 
in moving folks around. So we know that Brigadier General Hanson is 
very well qualified to move into this position at Programs and 
Resources at the Headquarters of the U.S. Marine Corps. He has served 
in numerous positions at the squadron, the group wing, and numbered Air 
Force and Combatant Command levels as an Active-Duty and traditional 
Reservist and individual mobility augmenting member.
  General Hanson has flown the A-10 and F-16 in a variety of 
operational assignments and is a command pilot with more than 3,400 
flying hours and over 200 combat hours. He has deployed in support of 
Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Willing Spirit, 
and Enduring Freedom.
  Mr. President, I bring forward to you for an individual vote on the 
floor of the U.S. Senate, as requested by my colleague. I ask unanimous 
consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the 
consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 291, 
James H. Adams III to be Lieutenant General; that the Senate vote on 
the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if 
confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's 
action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?

[[Page S5302]]

  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. It is good to see the Presiding Officer in the Chair. I 
appreciate his being here.
  Mr. President, several of my nominations that I have been trying to 
get my colleague to agree with--again, he still hasn't answered the 
quote ``If they want to vote on these nominees one at a time, I am all 
for it. I will probably vote for them.'' He still hasn't answered that. 
We are doing it. We are doing it. This is not a joke either. We are 
watching the experience of America's greatest military generation 
probably since World War II just kind of being flushed down a river 
right now. Just listen to this.
  Now, the one thing that is really disturbing to me is how many of 
these nominees are from the U.S. Navy. My dad was in the Navy. I love 
the U.S. Navy. But we know that the Navy right now is being stressed. 
The President sent two carrier strike groups over to the Middle East. 
We need carrier strike groups in the INDOPACOM.
  President Biden--and I criticize him a lot for this--is shrinking the 
Navy. That is idiotic. But our Navy officers and enlisted are going 
through a really stressful period because they are needed all over the 
world, and they are ready or are trying to be ready for any kind of 
contingency. It is tough to do a 9-month deployment and then come 
around, do the maintenance, and get back at it.
  But what I have been noticing is how many of these holds are 
impacting the Navy. I am going to go through like five more right now. 
I just did five. If we want to be a global, capable, powerful nation, 
especially today, you need a strong U.S. Navy.
  And the idea of reading these military members' experiences and how 
there is this big jam-up now, that this is not impacting readiness is 
patently absurd--patently absurd--with all due respect to my colleague.
  So let's just keep talking about the Navy and the men and women in 
the Navy and the great experience that they have. We need a lot of help 
from the Navy right now, and we have the Senate making leaders in the 
Navy sit on the bench. So let's talk about some of these leaders, and 
maybe my colleague will budge--maybe my colleague will budge.
  Let's talk about James E. Pitts to be Vice Admiral and Deputy Chief 
of Naval Operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities, 
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Rear Admiral Pitts, a 38-year 
career in the Navy--there you go, 38 years--let's sit him on the bench 
during this really difficult time. It includes extensive numerous 
deployments on nuclear attack submarines. Do you think we need that 
experience in the South China Sea right now? That is one of our great 
strategic advantages over the Chinese--notably, as the Commander of USS 
Tucson and the Submarine Squadron 7 and a number of shore assignments 
in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval Submarine School, 
and the Joint Staff.
  So we have one of America's top naval submarine-experienced Admirals, 
which is exactly what Xi Jinping and the Chinese fear, and he is 
sitting on the bench over a dispute, which is a serious dispute. I 
don't deny that at all. Again, I am where the Senator from Alabama is 
on that. But these guys have nothing to do with it. All we are doing is 
hurting our own national security by keeping them on the bench.
  So let's get him confirmed right now. I ask unanimous consent that 
the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the 
following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 197, James E. Pitts, to be 
Vice Admiral and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting 
Requirements and Capabilities, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; 
that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or 
debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made 
and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of 
the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, here we go again, more Navy. Like I 
said, the Navy is stressed, but we do have a great Navy. God love the 
U.S. Navy. And our submarine force, like I said, keeps Xi Jinping and 
his communist dictator admirals up at night. And it should because we 
could crush them with our Navy, as long as it is ready--as long as it 
is ready.
  Well, let's see whom we have next, whom we are holding up next. RADM 
Robert Gaucher, U.S. Navy, to be Vice Admiral and Commander, Naval 
Submarine Forces Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, 
Commander of Allied Submarine Command. It sounds like a pretty darn 
important bill, if you think subs are important, which they are 
critical.
  Let's hear about Admiral Gaucher. He is currently Director of 
Strategic Integration, the N2, the Office of the Chief of Naval 
Operations. Admiral Gaucher's prior operational assignments include 
service in both fast attack and ballistic missile subs. Who has that 
experience? No one else in the whole world but our Admirals. It 
includes service as a division officer, USS Flying Fish, SSN-673; 
navigator operations officer, USS Oklahoma City, SSN-723; executive 
officer, USS Maryland; commanding officer, USS City of Corpus Christi; 
and Commodore of Submarine Development Squadron 5.
  I certainly hope that this isn't one of these Admirals who is going 
to be like: You know what, 35 years, I have all of this experience, I 
am sick of this. I am leaving.
  Could you imagine if this Admiral, with this submarine experience, 
walked out the door because of the games being played right now? That 
is a risk. That is a risk, and we don't seem to give a damn. I give a 
damn.
  During these tours, he completed three strategic deterrent patrols in 
U.S. submarines, as well as deployments to the Arctic--my 
neighborhood--the Caribbean, North Atlantic, and the Mediterranean. 
This is incredible submarine experience.
  By the way, Xi Jinping is watching us right now going: I can't 
believe they are not letting these guys command. I am scared to death 
of subs.
  He is loving this, so is Putin. They are loving it. How dumb can we 
be, man?
  But we can confirm this guy, if my colleague just has a change of 
heart, because we are going to bring them up individually.
  So, therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Executive Calendar No. 204, Robert M. Gaucher, to be Vice Admiral and 
Commander of Naval Submarine Forces Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. 
Atlantic Fleet, and Commander of Allied Submarine Command; that the 
Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; 
that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, we are going to continue with the U.S. 
Navy. Again--I just thought of this--the Chinese admirals and their 
military, they are probably watching this debate right now, going: I 
can't believe my luck. I can't believe our luck. Maybe we should attack 
Taiwan tomorrow.
  The whole Navy is being held up. Let's go to another Navy officer.
  This is Daniel W. Dwyer to be Vice Admiral and Deputy Chief of Naval 
Operations for Warfighting Development, Office of the Chief of Naval 
Operations.
  OK. We have had a lot of good bios here tonight, with a lot of 
experience. When I saw Vice Admiral Dwyer's experience, I was like: 
Wow. This should scare the heck out of every Chinese admiral, every 
Chinese military official when they read this guy's bio.
  So let me read it. I hope we can get him confirmed because he is 
sitting on the bench, and the Chinese are cheering.
  Over Vice Admiral Dwyer's 35-year naval career--there we go; 35 
years, 40 years--he has commanded Strike

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Fighter Squadron, VFA-27; Provincial Reconstruction Team, Kunar 
Province, Afghanistan; Fleet Replacement Squadron, VFA-106; Carrier Air 
Wing 8; Carrier Air Wing 17.
  As a flag officer--that means as an Admiral--Admiral Dwyer commanded 
the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, the big stick that every 
country in the world, including China, fears. He commanded the Teddy 
Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. That is unbelievable experience. And he 
was the 36th Chief of Naval Air Training.
  Vice Admiral Dwyer is a career F/A-18 naval aviator, a graduate of 
the Navy Fighter Weapons School, a.k.a. TOPGUN, in which he completed 
eight carrier deployments to the Western Pacific, North Atlantic, 
Mediterranean, and North Arabian Sea, supporting Operation Southern 
Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn, flying over 75 
combat missions.
  Vice Admiral Dwyer was most recently the Commander of the Second 
Fleet and Joint Forces Command.
  Xi Jinping reads about a guy like this, and he is scared to death, 
and we bench him over a dispute Vice Admiral Dwyer has nothing to do 
with. But maybe we can fix that right now.
  So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Executive Calendar No. 180, Daniel W. Dwyer, to be Vice Admiral and 
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development, Office of 
the Chief of Naval Operations--so dammed qualified; that the Senate 
vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if 
confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's 
action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, here we go, crushing the Navy. Here is 
another Navy Admiral that we are going to have him sit on the bench. 
This is kind of remarkable. I mean, we are going to get to about 60 of 
these tonight. The experience here is unbelievable, but the U.S. Navy 
is really being hurt by this, and we need a strong Navy.
  Again, the Chinese are like--they are watching it, I guarantee you.
  Hello, guys.
  And they are like: Gosh. I can't believe how dumb these guys are.
  So let's keep talking about whom we are going to bench now. This is 
Douglas G. Perry to be Vice Admiral and Commander of Second Fleet, 
Commander of Joint Forces Command Norfolk.
  Let's look at Rear Admiral Perry's incredibly impressive career--over 
30 years. He began his career serving as a sea division officer, Navy 
diver, aboard the USS Pittsburgh, SSN-720; executive officer, 
operations officer aboard Submarine NR-1; and executive officer of the 
USS Maine. These are all subs. This is another great Admiral with great 
submarine experience, just what keeps the Chinese up at night, and we 
are going to bench him. That is SSBN-741.
  His deployment experiences span the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the 
Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Pacific--essentially, the whole world. As 
commanding officer of the USS Pasadena, SSN-752, he led the ship on 
highly successful deployments to the Eastern and Western Pacific. 
Again, that is a sub.
  Perry has served as Commander of the Submarine Development Squadron 
5, where he led Submarine Force Development of Unmanned Systems and 
Tactics and Employment and commanded the Navy squadron of Seawolf-class 
fast-attack subs. These guys are all submariners. The Chinese are 
scared to death of them, and we are benching them. What are we doing?
  Most recently, Perry served as Director of Undersea Warfare Division 
of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He is another great 
submariner to keep Xi Jinping up at night, and we are not going to 
allow him to get confirmed. But maybe we will.
  So, Mr. President, as my colleague had asked, we are bringing 
individual votes. He still hasn't answered the question why he is not 
doing what he said he was going to do. I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the 
following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 205, Douglas G. Perry, to 
be Vice Admiral and Commander of Second Fleet and Commander of Joint 
Forces Command Norfolk; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I have one more before I turn it over to 
my colleague from Iowa. It is a joint operation here. The only reason I 
am doing one more is because, guess what, another Navy officer--another 
Navy officer. The Chinese are like: Man, I can't believe it. We have 
been wanting to take out the U.S. Navy for decades, and the U.S. Senate 
is doing it right now.
  So what do we have here, another Vice Admiral, VADM Craig Clapperton, 
U.S. Navy, to be Vice Admiral and Commander of Fleet Cyber Command, 
10th Fleet Commander, Navy Space Command--boy, oh boy.
  He has had almost 35 years in the U.S. Navy. He has commanded the 
Shadowhawks of VAQ-141, the U.S. 6th Fleet, and the NATO command ship, 
USS Mount Whitney, the USS Theodore Roosevelt. That is a carrier, 
Carrier Strike Group 12.
  These guys are incredible. As an American, it makes you almost want 
to weep, how great they are.
  Listen to this career: During his command tours and his ship and 
squadron tours, he supported Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, 
New Dawn, Inherent Resolve, and operated in the Baltic, Black Sea, 
Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.
  Some of the best naval officers in America, certainly, right here, 
tonight. And the Chinese are scared to death of Vice Admirals like 
this, and we are going to let them sit on the bench. But maybe not. So 
we can confirm him right now by voice vote, individual voice vote, 
which is what our colleague has asked for.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar 
No. 138, Craig A. Clapperton to be Vice Admiral and Commander, Fleet 
Cyber Command; Commander, Tenth Fleet; and Commander, Navy Space 
Command; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening 
action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table and the President be 
immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Iowa.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, so I am going to pick up where my colleague 
is leaving off. We will keep on with the Space Force theme as we go 
forward here.
  I am bringing forward another really fantastic nominee, and this is 
Maj Gen Douglas A. Schiess. And I apologize again if I am getting these 
names wrong, but, heck, maybe we will get them confirmed tonight, and 
we won't have to read it again on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
  So Maj Gen Douglas A. Schiess, U.S. Space Force, to be Lieutenant 
General and Commander, U.S. Space Forces--Space/Combined Joint Force 
Space Component Commander--again, serving in a joint force, just as 
Senator Sullivan and I are operating as a joint force here on the floor 
of the U.S. Senate.
  We have another really great nominee with a lot of years of service 
to this incredible country. He has a 31-year career. And we have heard 
a lot of these guys. They are 30-plus. We have seen some lower officers 
just being promoted to Brigadier General. But let me tell you, these 
men and women who have over 30 years of service are to be commended. As 
my colleague from

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Alaska has said, they have been put on the bench. I would think we 
would want the players with the most experience, the most finesse, the 
means to get a job done--I think we would want them in the game.
  So Maj Gen Douglas Schiess has that 31-year career. He has commanded 
4th Space Operations Squadron. He has been with the 45th Operations 
Group, the 21st Space Wing, and the 45th Space Wing. He deployed to Al 
Udeid Air Base in Qatar in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, 
Resolute Support, and Inherent Resolve. Most recently, he served as the 
Vice Commander for Space Operations Command, U.S. Space Force.
  Those who have paid attention in the last handful of years as we have 
developed our U.S. Space Force understand that this is a very important 
domain moving forward. So not only do we have land, sea, and air; now 
we have space as well.
  I am very hopeful that we will move forward on this nomination--
again, 31 years of honorable service. He certainly deserves to be 
placed in this position of authority, Mr. President.
  So I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive 
session for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive 
Calendar No. 392, Douglas A. Schiess to be Lieutenant General and 
Commander, U.S. Space Forces--Space/Combined Joint Force Space 
Component Commander; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we will move on to the next individual 
vote, as requested by my colleague from Alabama. Here we are moving on 
the floor of the U.S. Senate. I am glad to be joined by a number of 
colleagues in the Chamber this evening to support our men and women in 
uniform.
  I do want to make the point--because we continue to talk about these 
incredible nominees and their service to our Nation during times of war 
and times of peace--I do want to bring it back to the reason that we 
are here. It is because of the abhorrent policy that has been put into 
our Department of Defense by a political nominee, Secretary Lloyd 
Austin. He is the civilian in charge of the Department of Defense. 
Again, it is about an abortion policy that has been placed in the 
Department of Defense.

  I will remind everyone once again that I am a pro-life woman. I am 
also a veteran and a combat veteran, at that. I do believe in 
protecting innocent life. I will continue to fight for innocent life. 
It was my amendment that was taken up in the Armed Services Committee 
earlier this year as we debated this policy during the debate on the 
National Defense Authorization Act.
  I have been a pro-life leader for well over 30 years now, since I was 
a young woman going through Iowa State University; making my career in 
the civilian workforce; then going into the Iowa Senate, where I was a 
proud defender of life; and now into the U.S. Senate, where I continue 
fighting for life in ways that make sense.
  We have civilian nominees who can be held and held responsible for 
this very, very bad policy at the Department of Defense. The men and 
women who are being brought forward tonight by Senator Dan Sullivan, by 
Senator Todd Young, by Senator Lindsey Graham, and myself, they have 
nothing to do with the DOD abortion policy--nothing to do with the DOD 
abortion policy.
  I have joined in life marches. I have given life speeches. I have 
objected to the practice of abortion, late-term abortion, in Western 
Iowa, in Council Bluffs. I have done this, as I said, for three 
decades--three decades. I challenge anybody in this Chamber to be more 
pro-life than I am or more military than I am. I have served, and I 
have borne a child.
  So our next nominee is Michael Guetlein. He is a Lieutenant General, 
U.S. Space Force, to be General and Vice Chief of Space Operations--
another incredible individual, a 32-year career. He also has served in 
command, leadership positions, at the flight, squadron, division, 
directorate, Program Executive Officer, and field command levels.
  Lt Gen Guetlein's commands include the Director of Remote Sensing 
Systems and the Commander for the Rapid Reaction Squadron. Lieutenant 
General Guetlein most recently served as the Commander of Space Systems 
Command.
  So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Executive Calendar No. 292, Michael A. Guetlein for appointment to the 
grade of General with assignment as Vice Chief of Space Operation; that 
the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; 
and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we will continue again with the U.S. Space 
Force theme.
  We have another gentleman: Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting of U.S. Space 
Force to be General and Commander of U.S. Space Command--again, a very, 
very important position to have. As we are working in the gray zone 
areas, we need to know that our space assets are protected, and we have 
the right man for the job.
  So this is Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting. He has a 34-year career as a 
Space Operations Officer. He has commanded the 13th Space Warning 
Squadron, the 614th Air and Space Operations Center and Joint Space 
Operations Center, the 21st Space Wing, and the Combined Force Space 
Component Command and 14th Air Force.
  Lieutenant General Whiting most recently served as the Commander of 
Space Operations Command--again, a gentleman who has absolutely nothing 
to do with DOD abortion policy, a man who has honorably served his 
country in uniform for 34 years.
  We are probably going to see and witness the back-benching of Lt Gen 
Stephen N. Whiting this evening, but, as my colleague from Alaska says, 
maybe not. Maybe we will see a man of honor step forward and voice vote 
on the confirmation of this officer by allowing us to move forward 
individually, as requested, on votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
  So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Executive Calendar No. 328, Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting for appointment 
in the U.S. Space Force to be General and Commander, U.S. Space 
Command; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening 
action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table and the President be 
immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, this one hits home. It is another nominee 
from the Navy. Hey, I am Army, but I love my Navy brothers and sisters. 
I love them all. This one is a Navy sister.
  This is Executive Calendar No. 347, Heidi K. Berg to be Rear Admiral. 
RDML Heidi K. Berg has--and as I was reading through these nominees, 
this struck me because she has an over 30-year career.
  Now, I know--because I was commissioned over 30 years ago--I know 
what a difficult climb it has been for women who were entering into the 
U.S. armed services at that time. Those women who entered in the 
seventies, eighties, nineties--they were trailblazers. They 
increasingly were put into positions of authority.
  This Rear Admiral, Heidi Berg, has commanded in some very significant 
positions. She has commanded the Navy Information Operations Command in 
Bahrain, the Navy Element of

[[Page S5305]]

the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Military Intelligence 
Training Center.
  Rear Admiral Berg's operational tours include Navy Security Group 
Activity in Rota, Spain, where Berg flew over 1,000 hours as a 
Communications Intercept Evaluator on board EP-3E aircraft in support 
of Operations Provide Promise/Sharp Guard, aboard the USS LaSalle, 
Italy, and as Director of the International Security Assistance Force 
Red Team at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  Most recently, Rear Admiral Berg served as the Assistant Deputy Chief 
of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy. And, again, we 
have had a number of women who have been brought up this evening in 
this debate, many of them having decades-plus experience. And I can 
tell you that women who were commissioned and have served over these 
last number of decades, they are to be commended. They have broken down 
barriers and allowed other women to see her and be her.
  So for You, Admiral Heidi K. Berg, I commend you.
  And I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive 
session for consideration of the following nomination: Executive 
Calendar No. 347, Heidi K. Berg, to be Rear Admiral; that the Senate 
vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if 
confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's 
action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. And there is another one that, as I said, you can see her; 
you can be her. Unfortunately, young ladies won't see her, at least for 
a while.
  Mr. President, I have a couple here more before I turn it back over 
to my colleague from Alaska.
  We are on a Navy theme again. So we have in front of us Michael T. 
Spencer, to be Rear Admiral Lower Half. He is a Navy 06, a Captain in 
the Navy, to be Rear Admiral (lower half).
  Captain Spencer's 30-year naval career has been exemplary. He has 
commanded VFA-102 and CVW-11 and served in leadership positions for 
Fighter Squadron VF-211 Carrier Air Wing CVW-1 and VFA-213. His 
deployments include aboard the USS Nimitz, the USS John C. Stennis, the 
USS Enterprise, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the USS George 
Washington, and again, most recently, on the USS Nimitz.
  Again, an admirable career. We are bringing him up for an individual 
vote on the U.S. Senate floor, as requested by my colleague from 
Alabama. So we will try once again.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar 
No. 327, Michael T. Spencer, to be Rear Admiral (lower half); that the 
Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; 
that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. Another one that I have known for a number of years now--
this one is in the U.S. Army--and I am very proud to be able to bring 
forward this nomination this evening--again, an individual vote on the 
floor of the U.S. Senate, as asked by our colleague from Alabama. I 
hope that we can get this one over the finish line tonight.
  So this nominee is Executive Calendar No. 390. It is Douglas A. Sims 
II. And he has been nominated to be Lieutenant General and Director of 
the Joint Staff.
  We have brought up so many incredible individuals this evening. All 
of them are incredibly important positions.
  Now, if you are familiar in the military, we do have a Joint Staff. 
And as a Director, this gentleman would be making sure that that Joint 
Staff operated seamlessly. Things just don't happen in the military, 
especially when you don't have the right leadership in the right 
positions.
  So we have Lieutenant General Sims. He has a 32-year career. He has 
served as the Commanding General of the First Infantry Division, the 
Deputy Director for Regional Operations and Force Management, and the 
Deputy Commanding General for Operation Freedom's Sentinel in 
Afghanistan.
  Let me say that again: the Deputy Commanding General for Operation 
Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan. The weight of his authority.
  Lieutenant General Sims has completed three deployments to 
Afghanistan and two to Iraq. Most recently, Lieutenant General Sims, an 
exemplary man serving in the U.S. Army, served as the Director for 
Operations of the Joint Staff J-3.
  Mr. President, I am going to try again. I ask unanimous consent that 
the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the 
following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 390, Douglas A. Sims II, 
to be Lieutenant General and Director, Joint Staff; that the Senate 
vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if 
confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's 
action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I just want to comment on my colleague 
here--Joint Forces, Marine Corps-Army operation--but Senator Ernst was 
talking; she is being very humble. She is such a strong leader on pro-
life issues in the Senate and such a strong voice. And I just wanted to 
really commend her on that. We have had Senator Graham here before. I 
am proud of my strong record on pro-life issues. I care deeply about 
it.
  Ironically--I mean, of course, we don't know, but I guarantee you--
both of us know in the military so well--that these 380 officers and 
their families--I am sure not all but probably many, many--have very 
similar strong views on that important issue. And it is ironic that, 
somehow, they are being caught up in this, when you think about it. I 
am sure it is really bitter for them.

  It is not just pro-life; it is pro-military views that we have here. 
And it is not just words. A lot of people just say: I support the 
troops. No. We have lived it. That is why we are here. It is 10 at 
night. That is why we have been on the floor for 4 hours. We have lived 
it, and we have seen the heroes we are talking about today. And we have 
seen their families.
  When you join the military--I always tell my wife and three 
daughters--you know, whether you are wearing a uniform or not, you are 
serving. And sometimes--in my view, a lot of times--it is harder for 
the spouse and the kids who are home when you have deployments and they 
are caught up in all of this. We haven't even talked about them. They 
are caught up, thousands of them--thousands of them. And there is 
polling out right now that is showing that the kids of military 
families, who are really the big pipeline in the continuing recruiting 
and people wanting to join the service, that the numbers are declining 
dramatically, where they are saying: You know what? I don't think I 
want to do what mom and dad did. I think I am going to not do that. 
Those numbers are declining. And this isn't helping. This isn't 
helping.
  And I will say another thing in terms of, you know, officers who are 
dealing--I have talked--again, my grade, I am a senior Colonel. I 
talked to some Brigadier Generals very recently who are in the Middle 
East, some of whom are caught up in this. Guess what they are doing 
right now. They are putting on flacks. They are putting on helmets. 
They are taking incoming. Right? Just read the paper. And they 
literally said to me: We can't believe that we are, like, taking 
incoming again for our country and this is happening.
  There is real bitterness. We better wake up. There is a recruiting 
retention problem. And we better wake up to the fact that this is not 
helping.

[[Page S5306]]

  Again, my colleague--oh, no readiness problem. That is such baloney. 
Baloney. And everybody knows it. Spend one day in the military, and you 
know it. It really makes me frustrated. Really frustrated. Yeah, guys 
taking incoming right now caught up in this. I have talked to them. 
This is just not right. It is not right. We all know it. We all know 
it.
  Mr. President, let's continue on. Another important promotion: a 
Major General in the U.S. Army, David Isaacson, to be Lieutenant 
General and Director for Command, Control, Coms and Computers and Cyber 
Chief Information Officer, J-6, for the U.S. Army.
  By the way, that is another theme: subs, Navy, and a lot of cyber--a 
lot of cyber, which is the new gray area of warfare as Senator Ernst 
mentioned. And we are keeping our cyber leaders on the bench.
  So let's hear about Major General Isaacson's 35-year career in the 
U.S. Army. He has served as Deputy Commanding General of Army Network 
Enterprise Technology Command--thank God for smart officers like that--
the Deputy Chief of Staff of the G-6 of the Army; Director of Network 
Services and Strategy for the Department of the Army. Major General 
Isaacson has multiple operational deployments, including Operation Just 
Cause in Panama, Desert Shield, Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, 
Uphold Democracy in Haiti, several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
supporting the Global War On Terrorism and overseas contingencies.
  Major General Isaacson most recently served as the Director of 
Manpower Personnel For Joint Chiefs.
  Incredible experience right here. So let's move him. Let's move him. 
We can do a voice vote. My colleague wanted voice votes on individuals. 
He still hasn't answered the question why he is objecting to 
everything.
  So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Executive Calendar No. 391, David T. Isaacson, to be Lieutenant General 
and Director for Command, Control, Communications, and Computer/Cyber 
and Chief Information Officer, J-6, Joint Staff--I misstated it 
earlier. That is not just for the Army. That is for the J-6. That is 
for the Joint Staff of the U.S. Military. Wow. Really important--that 
the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; 
that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's actions.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, we haven't had a marine in a while. I 
love the Marine Corps. It is not the big service, though, so we haven't 
had as many marines. I will tell you this: This Colonel, Kelvin 
Gallman, to be Brigadier General in the U.S. Marine Corps, he certainly 
is not a paper pusher. He is not some woke guy. He is a warrior. He is 
a warrior.
  Let's read about Colonel Gallman: 29 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. 
He served as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Marine Air 
Group 26--MAG-26--personnel support detachment. Marine Tilt Rotor 
Squadron, VMM-261. Those are Ospreys. Marine Aviation and Weapons 
Tactics Squadron, MAWTS-1. Colonel Gallman has several deployments in 
support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  Here we go, another Marine hero--another Marine hero. By the way, he 
has nothing to do with this--nothing. He sacrificed--I am going to read 
what he did. And we are saying: Oh, these guys aren't the warriors. 
What? Who the hell is saying that?
  Colonel Gallman received the Air Medal with a Combat Distinguishing 
Device for heroic achievement in connection with operations against the 
enemy as a pilot of a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter while attached to 
Marine Air Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary 
Force, on 1 April, 2003, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, while 
providing assault support under direct enemy fire for the U.S. Army 1st 
Ranger Battalion, in a daunting quest to rescue a U.S. Army prisoner of 
war from the Saddam Hussein hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, and the 
recovery of nine U.S. casualties, previously killed in action. This 
mission served as one of history's most daring and successful prisoner-
of-war rescues.
  Do I need to read that again for anybody? Pure courage. Pure heroism. 
And what is happening here? This Colonel needs to be promoted to 
Brigadier General in the Marine Corps.
  By the way, that is really hard to do in the Marines. There are not 
many Brigadier Generals.
  Heroic actions. Combat Distinguishing Device flying a helicopter--I 
guarantee it was at night. He recovered nine U.S. casualties previously 
killed in action. He went and got dead Americans so they wouldn't be 
left in the desert of Iraq. And this body is holding him. Come on.
  Whatever you think about this issue--and we all agree with the 
Senator from Alabama--this is not the guy to make a point with. Flying 
at night recovering POWs and dead Americans--heroic actions--and the 
U.S. Senate response is ``Thank you very much. You are not going to go 
anywhere. We are going to punish you. Why? Because we can. Because we 
feel like it.'' What a bunch of baloney.
  Let's try to at least get this guy promoted. Let's try to get this 
hero, Col. Kevin Gallman, U.S. Marine Corps, to be a Brigadier General 
because he is not no woke paper-pusher, I guarantee you that.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Col. Kelvin W. Gallman to be Brigadier General in the U.S. Marine Corps 
under Executive Calendar No. 95; that the Senate vote on the nomination 
without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the 
President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Let's move to the Air Force. Let's move for Scott L. 
Pleus to be Lieutenant General and Director of Staff at the U.S. Air 
Force. As you know, Mr. President, being an Army man, West Point grad, 
Director of Staff of your service is one of the most important 
positions in your service.
  Let's look at Lt. Gen. Scott Pleus's remarkable career. He has 34 
years in the Air Force. Lt. Gen. Pleus's time in the Air Force has 
included serving as Director of Air and Cyber Space Operations and as 
Executive Officer to the Air Force Chief of Staff. Lieutenant General 
Pleus is also a command pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours, with 
combat hours earned during Operations Desert Fox and Southern Watch. 
Most recently, Lieutenant General Pleus served as Deputy Commander for 
U.S. Forces Korea--all forces, not just Air Forces--and Commander for 
the Air Component in United Nations Command in Korea.
  Again, phenomenal--phenomenal--American patriot. Thirty-four years. 
And he is being benched at one of the most dangerous times since World 
War II. This isn't hurting readiness? Come on. Mr. President, maybe we 
can get him confirmed.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar 
No. 184, Scott L. Pleus to be Lieutenant General and Director of Staff, 
U.S. Air Force; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, let's go back to our great U.S. Navy.
  CAPT Craig Mattingly to be Rear Admiral (lower half) in the U.S. 
Navy. Let's look at Captain Mattingly's 28-year career. He has led 
Squadrons on deployments supporting EUCOM,

[[Page S5307]]

AFRICOM, and CENTCOM; areas of responsibility as commander of multitask 
force groups. His major command was Commodore of Patrol and 
Reconnaissance Wing 11. During his tenure as Commodore of CPRW-11, 
supported global initiatives include the inaugural INDOPACOM 
deployments of the MQ-4 Charlie Triton unmanned aerial systems in the 
PA Poseidon Advanced Airborne Sensor--that is a sub hunter--as well as 
the P-3C radar system.
  Captain Mattingly's most recent assignment was serving as Senior 
Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy. He is a naval aviator. 
He hunts subs, Russian and Chinese subs. How long has he been doing 
that? He has a little bit of experience here. Captain Mattingly--3,900 
flight hours in P-3C Orions and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.
  If you are a sub and you are an enemy of America, this guy has 
tracked you. Again, subs. The Chinese are scared to death of P-8s, and 
we have one of the best P-8 pilots in America, and he is on the bench, 
and Xi Jinping and his communist dictator buddies are smiling.
  Maybe we can get him done with a voice vote because our colleague 
asked for individual votes. I think we are almost at 60 individual 
votes right now--great Americans.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
CAPT Craig T. Mattingly to be Rear Admiral (lower half) of the U.S. 
Navy under Executive Calendar No. 97; that the Senate vote on the 
nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, 
the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and 
the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, let's go back to the importance--you are 
seeing some themes here. Navy, certainly. Boy, are we decimating the 
U.S. Navy. Decimating. Unbelievable. I am just shocked at how many Navy 
Admirals we are putting on the bench right now. The Chinese are 
smiling. Whoa, are they smiling.
  But this is another theme tonight, and, again, we didn't really plan 
it, Senator Ernst and I; it is just what is happening. We have a big 
military. Space ops. Cyber and space ops. That is another theme 
tonight. It is a really, really important area of warfare. The Chinese 
and Russians are gaining on us. We have the best, though. Here is 
another one.
  David N. Miller to be Lieutenant General and Commander, Space 
Operations Command, U.S. Space Force. That is a really big, important 
billet.
  Maj Gen David Miller has an over 30-year career where he has 
commanded at the squadron group and wing levels, including the 2nd 
Range Operations Squadron, 21st Operations Group in the 46 Space Unit.
  Most recently, Maj Gen Miller served as a Special Assistant to the 
Vice Chief of Space Operations. This is a hugely important billet to 
protect our entire country. He has incredible background in this area.
  Space, cyber, missile defense--those have all been brought up 
tonight, and all were shut down--without explanation, by the way. We 
are bringing up individual votes. We still haven't heard why we are not 
going to allow those to move.
  But anyway, Mr. President, we can confirm this nomination right now 
by a voice vote. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following 
nomination: Executive Calendar No. 351, David N. Miller, Jr., to be 
Lieutenant General and Commander, Space Operations Command, U.S. Space 
Force; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening 
action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table and the President be 
immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we have just a couple more to go as we wrap 
up the evening. We have been reading off these nominations as fast as 
our staff could get them to us, and I guarantee that my colleague, 
Senator Sullivan of Alaska, and I would go all night if we could. We 
won't keep you in the Chair, Mr. President.
  But we have seen a number of really incredible human beings come in 
front of us. Before I move on these nominations, that is what I want 
all of us to remember.
  For those who might be viewing this evening, those who will read 
through this tomorrow, I want them to understand that these are human 
beings. They are men and women who serve our country for all different 
reasons.
  I can't speak for Col. Dan Sullivan, but I know that when I decided 
as a young woman to serve my country, it was truly because I wanted to 
serve my country because I believe that our country provided great 
opportunities for kids like me who came from nothing.
  I literally came from nothing in Southwest Iowa. I am the first in my 
family to graduate from a 4-year school. My brother did not have the 
opportunity to go to college. He went into the workforce. My sister has 
an associate's degree from a community college. My parents are both 
high school educated, and I am blessed that they were high school 
educated.
  I had the great opportunity to attend an agricultural exchange while 
I was at Iowa State University, and that ag exchange took me to the 
USSR in 1989, to a place we now know as Ukraine. After living on that 
collective farm with my Ukrainian brother and sister and their family--
no running water, no refrigerator, no car, no telephone. The kids I 
lived with had never traveled off of the collective farm.
  After that experience and coming back to the United States, I 
understood that, growing up on a tiny little farm in Southwest Iowa, 
that I was so very blessed to be an American.
  My country afforded me all kinds of opportunities. Even though I came 
from a family without means, I could do anything. And I tell you what, 
when I was that kid, that 19-year-old kid who had traveled to the 
Soviet Union and back, I can tell you that my grandparents, at that 
time, would have never believed that that little kid would grow up and 
become a U.S. Senator.
  But what I took from that experience was that I was blessed. Dan was 
blessed. Coach is blessed. I think all of us are blessed by virtue of 
our birth and our citizenship here in the United States.
  So it was that experience that led me into the U.S. Army ROTC Program 
at Iowa State University because I didn't come from wealth or means, 
but what I did have was my service. And I knew that I needed to give 
back to my country and protect the values that we all hold dear. And I 
do not question anyone who serves in this U.S. Senate. We are all sent 
here for a purpose.
  But I do know that many of these men and women whom we have talked 
about tonight, they believe in their country as well. They are human 
beings. Many of them have backgrounds just as I do. They are flesh and 
blood, and they have chosen to wear the uniform and the flag of our 
United States.
  They have done that without any mental reservation. They have stepped 
forward to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, 
foreign and domestic. And they do it because they believe in our 
country. And it is really unfortunate that tonight these men and women 
have been denied their promotions. We have done the best that we can to 
honor the request of a fellow Senator that these nominations be brought 
to the floor and voted on individually.
  And I really respect men of their word. I do not respect men who do 
not honor their word. We have brought forward nearly 60 nominees. Every 
one of them have been denied an opportunity to move forward.
  They have given more than most of us have. Certainly, they have given 
more than I have in this Chamber. They have given more than Dan has 
given in this Chamber. We talked about many that had over 30 years of 
honorable service, and we are punishing them for what all of us here 
believe to

[[Page S5308]]

be a very bad policy at the Department of Defense--a policy that they 
have absolutely nothing to do with.
  There are 379 nominations as of the end of October, concerning 375 
general and flag officers here in the Senate for consideration. Of the 
375 officers, 362 are currently impacted by a blanket hold as they wait 
here on the Senate floor pending confirmation.
  We gave opportunity to nearly 60 of them this evening. These military 
families are in limbo. The families of 172 officers have been disrupted 
by these holds. Again, these are men and women. They have families who 
are being impacted. Their salaries are being impacted. Their 
retirements are being impacted. They had forced cancelations of coast-
to-coast moves with homes that were sold. Many of them are now living 
in temporary housing and paying out of pocket for storage without any 
clarity about the length of time that they will be in this hold.
  Many of their children were disenrolled from current schools and--
and--again, these are innocents--they are unable to reenroll in school 
or enroll in a new school since they do not have a permanent address. 
And there were many spouses who had employment that was terminated. 
That is a kick in the seat. I was a military spouse. I understand how 
difficult it is doing those PCS moves from duty station to duty station 
because your country demands it and having to start your life all over 
again.
  So I am going to bring up these last two nominations, and maybe we 
will see a result, again, bringing the nominations individually to the 
floor of the U.S. Senate to be voted on. I anticipated a man of his 
word would honor his word. We haven't heard an explanation. But I will 
tell you, this was not time wasted tonight. I will do this all over 
again. I will do it all over again.
  I am bringing forward now Capt. Frederic C. Goldhammer to be Rear 
Admiral (lower half) in the U.S. Navy, under Executive Calendar No. 97. 
Captain Goldhammer has a 28-year career, actually over 28 years now, 
and he has held several command positions, including while deployed 
aboard USS Enterprise, USS Nimitz, and USS Eisenhower, supporting 
Operation Southern Watch, Joint Endeavor, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi 
Freedom.
  Captain Goldhammer also completed Individual Augmentee assignments as 
an Air Planning Officer for the Coalition Combat Air Operations Center 
in Saudi Arabia, Liaison Officer to the U.S. Army's 18th Airborne Corps 
in Afghanistan, and as a Combat Search and Rescue Watch Officer for the 
U.S. Navy 5th Fleet staff in Bahrain.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Capt. Frederic C. 
Goldhammer to be Rear Admiral (lower half) in the U.S. Navy, 
under Executive Calendar No. 97; that the Senate vote on the nomination 
without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Ms. ERNST. And our final nomination this evening--so I mentioned that 
I was a former military spouse, and Senator Sullivan had brought up 
First Ranger Battalion. And those who have served around many of those 
in the Rangers, they understand that there is a--there is a stanza of 
the Ranger creed that is ``I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall 
into the hands of the enemy.''
  We have talked about those who have saved the lives of other men and 
women in uniform. We heard about the marine who saved a life of many 
other men and women in uniform and went to retrieve those who have 
fallen so that they wouldn't forever be in the hands of the enemy.
  We have heard about women who led the way, as well, with their 
service and showing other young women that they could serve and do 
great things for the Nation that has given them so much. We have heard 
so many stories about heroics and combat, ``V'' for Valor, Silver Star. 
We have heard brief resumes of warriors we really can't go into on the 
floor of the U.S. Senate. Again, those of us who served understand why 
we can't do that.
  But these are people. They are human beings. They are flesh and 
blood. They have done everything they possibly can and given more than 
most for their country: duty and honor, their service, sacrifice for 
this Nation.
  And what is this body, this Nation doing to them? This will be 
remembered. It is a dark evening. This will be remembered. I want to 
thank them so much for their service to our country. We will continue 
pressing forward because we will not leave them to fall. We will not 
leave them to fall.
  So, with that, I will turn the floor back over to my colleague and 
thank you--oh, excuse me, I haven't completed this final nomination.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. I have three more.
  Ms. ERNST. Oh, we have more. We could go all night, Dan. We have done 
it before.
  But I am going to move on Col. Kevin J. Merrill to be a Brigadier 
General in the U.S. Air Force. Col. Kevin Merrill most recently served 
as the Deputy Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements 
for Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command.
  Previously, Col. Merrill was the Mobilization Assistant to the 
Director of Operations for the Air Force Special Operations Command, 
AFSOC.
  Col. Merrill conducted around-the-clock HH-60G battlefield and 
medical evacuation for coalition forces during Operation Enduring 
Freedom. He most certainly did not leave a man behind. He led rescue 
operations in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Rita and provided 
24-hour combat search-and-rescue coverage for coalition assets during 
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: 
Col. Kevin J. Merrill to be Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force 
under Executive Calendar No. 86; that the Senate vote on the nomination 
without intervening action or debate; that, if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, we have three more that we are going to 
do. That will be 61 tonight. And Senator Ernst and I--and I know a lot 
of our other colleagues want to join us--we are going to keep coming 
down here. So let me get through these, and then I will have a few 
words to conclude. And I want to thank the Presiding Officer for 
staying late. I know you care about this issue as well.
  This is Brig. Gen. Robert M. Blake, and he is being considered to be 
promoted to Major General in the U.S. Air Force--again, incredible, 
incredible background. He most recently served as the Mobilization 
Assistant to the Commander Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale 
Air Force Base, LA.
  He has flown the C-130 H2 Hercules. He has amassed more than 4,500 
hours in military aircraft, including combat sorties and tours in Iraq 
and Afghanistan. Brig. Gen. Blake flew 16 total missions, including 12 
air refueling sorties supporting C-5s and C-17s in Operation Enduring 
Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. And he flew 10 missions in support of 
humanitarian relief for operations for Operation Southern Watch and 
Enduring Freedom.
  Again, a transport aviation pilot, incredible. Just, I mean, we look 
at these numbers like oh, no big deal--4,500 flying hours in military 
aircraft. That is incredible experience for our military. So let's get 
him confirmed. Let's get him confirmed by voice vote, right here, 
individual, as our colleague requested.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Brig. Gen. Robert M. 
Blake to be Major General in the U.S. Air Force under Executive 
Calendar No. 88; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; that, if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon

[[Page S5309]]

the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's 
action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, another heroic Air Force pilot with 
incredible experience. Let's just move on to Brig. Gen. Mitchell 
Hanson. We are trying to get him confirmed to be Major General.
  By the way, Senator Graham made this point at the beginning: All of 
these military members went through their promotion board process. As 
we all know, the military is kind of an up-or-out organization, right? 
So for Brigadier General Hanson to go from Brigadier General to Major 
General--a two-star General--that is really hard to do. These guys are 
the best, right? We just kind of take it for granted. That is all done 
by the military, in the military selection boards. They are picking 
their own, but we have to confirm it.
  So, again, think about the frustration--let me read about his 
background--that they have done all this, the boards have met, they 
said these are our top people, and we are going to keep promoting them.
  Normally, for the last 200 years--by the way, as stated earlier, 
there are a lot of holds. I have put holds on. No one has ever done a 
blanket hold on every flag officer promotion for this long in the 
history of America. Let me repeat that. There has never been
one-, two-, three-, four-star Generals and Admirals, a blanket hold on 
all of them.
  People have threatened it. They have done it for a couple of weeks, 
but it has never been done for almost a year in the history of the 
United States of America. That is a fact. Contemplate that one.
  So let's look at Brigadier General Hanson's background. He most 
recently served as Mobilization Assistant to the Director of 
Operations, Air Combat Command. Brigadier General Hanson has served in 
numerous positions at the squadron group wing in numbered Air Force. 
That is getting bigger in each unit. You know that, Mr. Chairman, but 
some people watching might not know.
  Brigadier General Hanson has served as a reservist, an individual 
mobilization augmentee member on the Reserve side of the military. He 
has flown the A-10 and the F-16 in a variety of operational assignments 
and as a command pilot, with more than 3,400 hours--again, just 
enormous experience, flying over 200 combat hours.
  He has deployed in support of Operations Desert Storm, Southern 
Watch, Noble Eagle, Willing Spirit, Enduring Freedom. Brigadier General 
Hanson executed 20 close air support combat missions supporting NATO 
and international security assistance forces battling Taliban insurgent 
fighters in Afghanistan.
  He provided armed overwatch for dismounted infantry patrols--the 
grunts on the ground looking up: Oh, my God, I got air cover. Thank 
God.
  He conducted convoy and helicopter escorts and responded to U.S. 
infantry platoons on the ground receiving effective fire from an 
insurgent machinegun team. He employed 160 rounds of 30 mike-mikes 
against the insurgents and killed them all--killed them all. He saved 
American grunt lives on the ground. Another hero. Another hero. So we 
are going to put him on a bench.
  By the way, it is a great way to say thanks for your service, 
Brigadier General Hanson. We will just keep you on the icebox. Thanks 
for your service. Very heroic.
  But maybe my colleague will relent here. We are down to one more. So 
maybe, maybe it will work.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Brig. Gen. Mitchell 
A. Hanson to be Major General, U.S. Air Force, under Executive Calendar 
No. 88; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening 
action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table and the President immediately 
be notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, the final one. It is so ironic. I didn't 
mean it to be this way, but I am so proud of it. It is a U.S. Marine 
Colonel--I am a U.S. Marine Colonel; these are my peer groups--to be 
Brigadier General of the U.S. Marine Corps.
  Let's read about Col. Richard Joyce to be Assistant Deputy Commandant 
for Aviation, U.S. Marine Corps--again, another heroic American.
  Colonel Joyce has deployed numerous times to Iraq and Afghanistan and 
served as the Commanding Officer of an attack squadron. He is a Cobra 
pilot. That is an attack helicopter, the AH-1. He was Director of the 
staff group for Gen. Robert Neller when he was the 37th Commandant of 
the Marine Corps.
  Colonel Joyce received the Air Medal with the combat distinguishing 
device--that means heroism in combat--for heroic achievement while 
participating in aerial flight as an attack helicopter pilot of an AH-
1--that is a Cobra helicopter--assigned to Marine Light Attack 
Helicopter Squadron 169, deployed with Marine Air Group 40 in support 
of Operation Enduring Freedom on 22 May 2009. He was under direct fire 
from three different directions, with enemy forces effectively engaging 
his aircraft--incoming from three different directions. He placed 
precision fires on each of these enemy positions, destroying them and 
providing direct relief to outnumbered friendly forces on the ground.
  Not a paper pusher. Not a woke warrior. A real, true American hero 
right here, and we are going to tell him: Stay on the bench.
  Maybe not. This is the last one, Mr. President, No. 61 for the 
night--a Marine Colonel to be promoted to Brigadier General, who has 
nothing to do with this damn dispute on the floor here--nothing--and, 
somehow, he is going to get caught up in this.
  By the way, these are the kinds of guys I am hearing about. These are 
my peer group. They are saying: You know what? Seven deployments, tough 
on the wife and kids. I am getting stuck in an issue that I have 
nothing to do with. I can't--you know what, I am punching out. I am 
punching out.
  So we are going to lose guys like this. We are going to lose guys 
like this.
  The Chinese, Putin, Xi Jinping--they are going to be like: Oh, my 
God, I am so scared of a marine like this. He would come over and kick 
the you know what out of the Chinese and Russians.
  We are going to drive him out of the Marine Corps--drive him out of 
the Marine Corps.
  But maybe not--maybe my colleague will relent on this just last one, 
just out of good grace. He still hasn't explained why, all that he said 
about not blocking a single vote if you bring up nominees one at a 
time. I am all for it. I will probably vote for them. We just brought 
up 61, one at a time, in regular order. Come on.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session 
for the consideration of the following nomination: Col. Richard D. 
Joyce to be Brigadier General of the U.S. Marine Corps on Executive 
Calendar No. 95; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. I am just going to conclude. I am disappointed. We are 
done here. We don't have any more for tonight, but I think this has 
been enlightening. I think this has been enlightening because what we 
have been able to do--hopefully, some people are watching in our great 
Nation--is to distill to the people of the country: Look at how blessed 
we are to have these incredible Americans. Look at how blessed we are, 
how heroic they are.
  So my message to our Generals and Admirals who are being held up: 
Hang in there. Hang in there. Some of us have your back. We have your 
back. We

[[Page S5310]]

will be coming here every night to try and get you guys confirmed.
  I have been very honored to be here with Senator Ernst on the floor. 
And I will tell you that I think she and I both have a feeling that I 
think a lot of people have--but people who served, mostly--just the 
love for our military, military families.
  I am coming up, just at 30 years in the Marine Corps. The INDOPACOM 
theater has been the bookends of my career. My first deployment was the 
INDOPACOM, a Marine amphibious ready group, in the Taiwan Strait.
  When the Chinese were threatening to invade Taiwan, we sent a Marine 
amphibious ready group. I was on that as a young infantry officer, in 
two carrier strike groups. And we went in the Taiwan Strait and looked 
at the Chinese and said: Not today, guys. Not today. Not today. The 
U.S. Marine Corps is here. The U.S. Navy is here. Don't even think 
about it.
  That was almost 27 year ago, and I am out at the Marine Force's 
Pacific Command. In between, I have deployed as a staff officer in the 
Middle East, in Afghanistan.
  But I think, like Senator Ernst, the biggest honor of my life has 
been serving and leading marines. I have a lot of good friends in the 
Senate. I have met a lot of good people in the U.S. Senate. The best 
people I have ever met in my life by far--not even close--are U.S. 
marines. They are the best.
  And I think what is happening right now--you know, the Marine Corps' 
motto is Semper Fi, always faithful. And this body is not keeping faith 
with our military right now. It is not, and the military knows it, and 
they are frustrated.
  So many of these officers had 30 years or more of experience, 
thousands of years of experience we are putting on hold. The distinct 
comparative advantages we have say, for example, in submarine forces in 
the Indo-Pacific theater that the Chinese fear--they fear it--we are 
putting that on hold.
  So I am hopeful that my colleague who left, Senator Tuberville, can 
work with us. I have been working with him for months. This is just 
kind of a frustration moment, right? Enough. But I am hopeful we can 
still work together. I am hopeful we can find a way forward. The idea 
that I have been pitching to him: Hey, let's lift the hold on the men 
and women who have nothing to do with this and put a hold on the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Policy, who is in charge of the abortion 
issue, and he is a civilian. That is the way to use the hold, not to 
take out a Marine Corps Brigadier General who is a war hero.
  So I am hopeful that we are going to make progress on that. We are 
facing a really dangerous period right now, as you know, as Senator 
Ernst knows, and we are impacting readiness. We are definitely 
impacting morale, and that is readiness.
  So, again, to my colleague saying, ``Don't worry; there is no 
problem, no readiness problems,'' no offense, but that is just 
ridiculous, and he knows it. We all know it.
  So we are going to keep working this. I am honored to be on the floor 
with Senator Ernst. I appreciate, Mr. President, your sticking around.
  We are not done. If you are a flag officer--one-star, two-star, 
three-star, or four-star General--we have got your back. We are going 
to work this. We are going to work it. You deserve it, and our Nation 
has to have it.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________