OPINION:
Sen. Tommy Tuberville is doing grave harm to our nation’s readiness and national security by his actions in holding up the promotions and reassignment of more than 250 generals and admirals.
The Alabama Republican began blocking these promotions in February because he objects to a Department of Defense policy that allows service members to take leave and covers their expenses if they choose to have an abortion.
The senator believes the policy violates federal law. He says he won’t drop his objection to the policy until the Defense Department removes the policy.
Unfortunately, Mr. Tuberville’s actions are harming our national security and causing a serious ripple effect on the lives of many military families.
Key leaders are being prevented from assuming senior command and staff positions around the world.
Some of those officers are statutorily limited by the amount of time they can serve in a position. This summer, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of naval operations and the Air Force chief of staff must leave their positions after serving their four-year terms.
Other positions affected include the commanders of the 5th Fleet in the Middle East and the 7th Fleet in the Pacific, and the U.S. military representative to NATO, who is responsible for coordinating allied support to Ukraine.
Mr. Tuberville, a former top college football coach, should understand the impact of his actions. Many of the positions he has put on hold are comparable to being head coach of a football team.
But the current head coach may be reluctant to make a decision or establish a policy that may commit the incoming coach to an action the latter may find untenable. Similarly, an incumbent officer in an acquisition role may forgo making a decision on a new weapons system for fear of committing a successor to a path that he finds difficult to support.
To carry this analogy further, the new head coach in many of the positions that have been put on hold will want to fill many of his or her subordinate positions with new assistant coaches.
These prospective assistants have families whose lives have also been placed on hold — whether to sell or buy a home, whether they should find new schools for their children, and whether a spouse should remain in his or her current job or seek a new one. These are just a few things that put lives in limbo.
In May, seven former defense secretaries signed a letter to the two top Senate leaders — New York Democrat Charles E. Schumer and Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell. The former secretaries characterized Mr. Tuberville’s actions as “irresponsible and uncaring” because they harm the families of those who serve their country in uniform.
When an athletic team faces a coaching change, there is angst and uncertainty. It can cause unease and ambiguity about individual roles or responsibilities. This uncertainty may be reflected on the field or in the win-loss column.
But placing 250 senior military officers on hold is far more consequential than a simple win or loss. Leaving 250 officers in doubt at a time of enormous global geopolitical sensitivity sends the wrong signal to our adversaries.
It also sends a poor signal to our allies and friends about what we see as priorities in a challenging geopolitical environment.
Mr. Tuberville clearly has strong, sincere feelings about abortion. But expressing those feelings by placing a hold on the promotions and assignments of more than 250 senior officers is inappropriate.
What his actions have done is validate a recent survey that the Reagan National Defense Forum did. The poll found that almost two-thirds of Americans expressed concern about how politicized the military has become.
We see some of these same concerns being expressed by potential military recruits. The perception of a politicized military, especially in the eyes of parents or other influencers, is not conducive to solving the problematic recruiting situation.
Clearly, our nation would be better served if Mr. Tuberville would consider the impact of his actions. He has other ways he could address the issue and change Department of Defense policy — introducing legislation or conducting oversight hearings, for example.
One of Mr. Tuberville’s colleagues, Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, offered Mr. Tuberville this suggestion — placing a hold on political appointees.
“They’re the ones who make policy. I think that would be an equally effective and better approach,” she said.
Our country would be well served if Mr. Tuberville took the advice of his colleague from Maine.
• Retired Rear Adm. Tom Jurkowsky served on active duty for 31 years, beginning his career as an enlisted sailor. He is the author of “The Secret Sauce for Organizational Success: Communications and Leadership on the Same Page.” He is a member of the Military Officers Association of America. The opinions expressed are his own.
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