Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin blasts GOP senator's blockade of military promotions as 'unnecessary'

[BumRushDaShow]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: NBC News

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday criticized Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing hold on hundreds of military promotions as an “unprecedented” move that threatens the country’s safety.

“Because of this blanket hold, starting today, for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, three of our military services are operating without Senate-confirmed leaders,” Austin said during a relinquishment ceremony for the chief of naval operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

“This is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe,” he added. “This sweeping hold is undermining America’s military readiness. It’s hindering our ability to retain our very best officers. And it’s upending the lives of far too many American military families.”

Austin said troops, military families, allies and partners of the U.S., and the country’s national security “deserve better.” “So let me say again that smooth and swift transitions of confirmed leadership are central to the defense of the United States and to the full strength of the most lethal fighting force in history,” he said. Austin called for the Senate to confirm “all of our superbly qualified military nominees, including the 33rd chief of naval operations.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-blasts-gop-senators-blockade-military-p-rcna99759

[raging moderate]

1. This should not be allowed!

How does one US senator suddenly acquire the powers of an absolute monarch?

[Oopsie Daisy]

2. The rules need to be changed (next time we have control).

Or there needs to be a carve-out rule-change that neuters this asshole.

[24601]

11. That's a good question. The answer is because Majority Leader Schumer wanted to pass all of the

military nominations by a single vote with unanimous consent.

Since Tuberville objects, the remaining confirmation path is by individual consideration, essentially on the same basis as the President's non-military nominations. Senator Schumer says that it's too time-consuming to consider military nominations individually.

Of all the nominations being held, I believe that the least affected is Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) since the acting chief, Admiral Franchetti, was already an Admiral (4-star) as Vice Chief of Naval Operations. The pay is almost the same, and her authorities are the same. The only difference is the title of acting CNO versus CNO.

I'm more concerned with nominations that carry a rank promotion and/or involve different commands. For example, Air Force Lieutenant General (3-star) Tim Haugh was nominated for promotion to General (4-star) with the assignment as Commander, US Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency.

As CYBERCOM Deputy Commander, he can easily be made Acting Commander when General Nakasone retires. NSA's Deputy Director, however, is a civilian, and Lt Gen Haugh is not even assigned to the NSA. Without Senate confirmation, he can run CYBERCOM as an acting commander; however, he wouldn't be running NSA as an acting Director.

[BOSSHOG]

3. Tuberville has declared war on freedom and democracy

Because of his religious beliefs. Because he wants to force 12 year olds to have their rapists babies for no sane reason. If Alabamians who voted for him had any decency they would be ashamed. But if they had any decency they wouldn’t have voted for him.

Congratulations to the first Female Chief of Naval Operations. Congratulations shipmate. Show Tuberville how leadership works.

[Lonestarblue]

14. Who knew that Tuberville had religious beliefs? It's more likely the Republican plan to gum up the

works whenever possible just for the hell of it. The Senate has far too much control over appointments that actually do not need their attention, like military promotions. I get the need to approve the head of the Pentagon, and perhaps a few other key roles, but anything more is just a waste of time because I doubt that most Senators would question specific military promotions. They certainly do not need to approve over 300 promotions. The next time Democrats have full control of the rules committee, they need to whittle down the number of positions requiring approval.

[Warpy]

4. Tuberville is why the Democrats MUST END THE FILIBUSTER RULE

He represents tyrrany by the minority, just like McConnell has. This has to end or our demiocratic experiment will end. That's how important it is to get rid of this rule instituted originally to protect slavery.

Fuck Manchin. Fuck Sinema. It's got to go.

Sp does that carpetbagging asshole, Tuberville.

[raging moderate]

6. Yes! This is not the real filibuster, anyway! The original was VERY different!

They should not have been allowed to get away with calling this scam action a filibuster in the first place!

[llashram]

5. can Sec. Austin

do anything more than just verbally explain the damage Tuberville is doing to our national readiness in the military? No, I don't have a suggestion but some senators or representatives must be in some politically legal manner pressured. Many votes to help our military. The RW idiots will blame President Biden of course over the abortion issue here. Yet the military personnel should not be made the pawns of the Republican thugs. Millions are affected.

Someone with power has to get angry and change this situation. Get very angry. I am.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. What can be done

is to vote on the top brass positions one at a time and then pressure for the rest. But I think they are trying to shame the GOP into ending the thuggish hostage-talking because it is imperiling our national security.

These are normally done in the Senate in batches "by unanimous consent" and no one "objects". Except now, "objecting" is what Tuberville has done here. Meaning they would have to go through the "regular order" process of debate and a vote for each one, and that pretty much halts all other business in the Senate.

[llashram]

9. well

that is at least one process if things get dangerous, militarily. MAN!!! these thugs are screwing up our nation. How many people protecting our country deserve this? None.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

7. 1968. Richard Nixon sabotages President Johnson's peace negotiations in Vietnam.

In the interim between 1968 and the ending of military involvement in 1973, at least 20,000 more troops/personnel were killed. So that Nixon could claw his way into the presidency. We don't know if Johnson's negotiations would have succeeded but at least he was trying to end the disaster Vietnam had become.

Ronald Reagan negotiated with terrorists in secret, traded advanced US weaponry for hostages, sold MORE advanced weaponry and used the proceeds to fund illegal operations in Central America, which is now, of course, a smoking ruin in many places.

George Dubya lied the nation into a disaster in Iraq. When Joe Wilson spoke out about the Shrub Administration's lies, Dark Cheney and Scooter Libby (and probably others) retaliated by revealing Valerie Plame, his wife, as a Non-Official Cover agent of the CIA, Blowing her identity and endangering the lives of her contacts, as I recall, many of whom were killed.

The puke party endangers the men and women of our armed forces and undermines the security of the nation on a regular basis. Like everything else, putting politics ahead of principle. Confederate Tommy is just the latest iteration.

"Strong on defense" my ass.

[llashram]

10. I remember

all this happening. More RW thuggishness. From Nixon on.

[usonian]

12. Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who's the greatest hero of them all?

[Marthe48]

13. How many abortions vs promotions on hold?

I bet we could count on one hand the number of abortions among military personnel since the asshole from alabama and the other anti-American senators started their anti-military ploy. We know that hundreds of military personnel careers and advancement are on hold, and 3 of the military branches have no commanders. Seems like the asshole from alabama is actually a russian loving traitor.

[JudyM]

15. Locking

Dupe of content in Kennah’s earlier thread, including

“This is unprecedented. It is unnecessary. And it is unsafe,” Austin said at the Naval Academy Monday.