Temps filling senior Navy jobs as Tuberville-Pentagon standoff grinds on

The Navy is shuffling senior officers into open positions as it contends with the fallout over Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s block on military confirmations until the Pentagon reverses a new policy that offers support for service members seeking abortions, including fully funding expenses for women who travel to another state for elective abortions.

On Monday, the Navy announced that Rear Adm. Fred Kacher has taken over the reins as acting superintendent at the U.S. Naval Academy from Vice Adm. Sean Buck, who will end his 40-year military career on Sept. 1, 2023. He will serve in the job until the Senate confirms Rear Adm. Yvette Davids, the Naval Academy said.

“I could not be more grateful for this opportunity to lead the Naval Academy in the interim,” Adm. Kacher said in a statement.

Last week, Rear Adm. Davids relieved the retiring Vice. Adm. Roy Kitchener as acting commander of Naval Surface Forces and Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The position is responsible for ensuring the combat readiness of 94 warships and 45 shore commands, officials said.

Rear Adm. Davids was the first Hispanic woman to command a U.S. Navy warship and will be the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, if confirmed by the Senate.

Both admirals have been nominated for promotion to three-star vice admiral but those moves are also on hold until Mr. Tuberville lifts his parliamentary hold effectively halting votes on all promotions and assignments for generals and admirals. The Pentagon estimates that the Republican lawmaker’s blockade could impact at least 600 senior officers by the end of the year.

Mr. Tuberville has refused to budge until the Pentagon drops its new guidelines, adopted shortly after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision striking down Roe v. Wade. The freshman senator and his supporters say the Senate still could move ahead with floor debates and votes on individual nominations, but that the chamber’s Democratic leaders have refused to do so to increase the pressure to lift the holds.

Rear Adm. Kacher was most recently the vice director for operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He has been nominated for assignment as commander of the Seventh Fleet, the Navy said.