Pentagon Leaders Say Tuberville’s Hold on Military Promotions Threatens National Security

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), here greeting supporters after defeating Jeff Sessions in the 2020 Republican U.S. Senate primary in Montgomery, Ala., has laced an indefinite hold on nearly 200 Pentagon promotions. AP Photo/Butch Dill

Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) indefinite hold on military promotions in protest of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) “reproductive health” policy is having a definite effect on national security “in every theater, every domain, and every service,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a Senate panel on May 11.

Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley said the suspended promotions of officers is “unsettling” because many are three and four-star flag officers set to assume pivotal commands.