[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5323-S5324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Military Nominations

  Mr. KELLY. Mr. President, we are in complex and dangerous times.
  Ukraine is fighting off a Russian invasion. Israel is defending 
itself against Hamas. American soldiers have been attacked by Iran's 
proxies. China is watching closely and testing the United States and 
our allies. We need our military to be stronger and more focused than 
ever. However, because of one Senator, our military is being severely 
hamstrung.

  The Senator from Alabama, Mr. Tuberville, has a policy disagreement 
with the Pentagon. However, instead of addressing this policy, he has 
decided to singlehandedly shut down what has historically been a 
bipartisan process to promptly confirm military nominees.
  My Republican colleagues made this very clear last night. His 
decision isn't affecting just a handful of positions; he is currently 
blocking 367 admirals and generals, and that number continues to grow. 
That has left members of our Armed Forces stranded and unable to get 
the promotions they have earned. It has put their lives and the lives 
of their family members on hold.
  Today, we will vote to confirm three of them: the Chief of Naval 
Operations, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and the Assistant Commandant 
of the Marine Corps. They are the top officers in the Navy and the Air 
Force and the No. 2 officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
  Now, that may seem like progress, and the Senator from Alabama may 
say that this is an example of how the Senate can confirm military 
nominees one by one, but here is the thing: The new leaders of the Air 
Force and the Navy won't have anyone confirmed as their No. 2s. So they 
will have to do two of the highest ranking jobs in their services at 
the same time--their new jobs and their old jobs. That is because of 
Senator Tuberville. With hundreds of admirals and generals awaiting 
promotion because of his holds, it is impossible for the Senate to 
catch up by doing this one by one.
  In the Marine Corps, the situation is even more serious. Over the 
weekend, we learned the terrible news that Gen. Eric Smith, confirmed 
just last month to lead the U.S. Marine Corps, suffered a medical 
emergency. General Smith was in the same position--forced to do two 
jobs at once. Today, we will confirm his deputy, who will have to 
immediately step up to be Acting Commandant of the Marine Corps for as 
long as General Smith is recovering.
  It is an outrage that it takes an urgent vote of the U.S. Senate to 
fill a leadership gap at the top of the U.S. Marine Corps. That is the 
result of this blockade, and it is what we risk across our military 
leadership if, God forbid, another service chief has to step away from 
their job.
  The Senator from Alabama doesn't think this does real damage to our 
military readiness. He either doesn't know what he is talking about or 
he doesn't care. At this very minute, the brave men and women of the 
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are aboard the USS Bataan, the USS 
Carter Hall, and the USS Mesa Verde just south of Israel in the Red 
Sea. This is our quick reaction force, trained to evacuate civilians in 
conflict zones. Those marines are in a dangerous part of the world at a 
dangerous time, prepared to do a very dangerous job. They deserve fully

[[Page S5324]]

staffed and focused senior leadership, able to advise the President 
while also giving the best guidance to their commanders. For 4 days 
this week, within arm's reach of a war, they didn't have it because of 
one Senator.
  The solution is clear, and it has been clear since day one: The 
Senator from Alabama must remove his hold on our admirals and generals. 
We wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for him. He can stop this 
today if he wants to. If he continues to refuse, it is just too 
dangerous to wait for him to do the right thing. There is a proposal 
for the Senate to make a temporary change that will allow us to vote on 
the bulk of these nominees at once. It is designed to put our national 
security ahead of all else by addressing the dangerous circumstance 
these holds have put our military in.
  Now, I have talked with many of my colleagues--Republicans and 
Democrats--about this fact, and I encourage everyone to give it serious 
thought. At what George Will called ``the most dangerous U.S. moment 
since World War II,'' the Senate must consider whether it will allow 
the U.S. military to be without hundreds of confirmed admirals and 
generals and to be just one illness or accident away from once again 
having a service branch without senior leadership because, to me, that 
is a pretty clear choice.
  I yield the floor.