The commander of the United States Marine Corps resigns today, leaving the famed service without a confirmed long-term leader while America’s ongoing political war over abortion hinders the approval of scores of military nominees. It will be the most senior job to date to be impacted by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville’s decision to block Defense Department appointments. Tuberville claims he will keep doing so until the Pentagon changes its policy on helping troops who travel to get abortions.
Senator Tuberville claims the practice is unlawful, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin maintains that it is legal and that postponing the confirmation of the nominees “harms America’s national security and hinders the Pentagon’s normal operations.” Though the Senate can still vote on military officer nominees individually, Senator Tuberville’s “hold” means they cannot be rapidly approved in groups by unanimous consent, and his office estimates more than 200 are currently affected.
General David Berger’s term as commandant of the Marine Corps “will expire on 10 July 2023, at which time he must vacate the office, regardless of whether a successor has been appointed,” according to spokesperson Major Jim Stenger. General Eric Smith, the White House’s nominee to succeed Berger, will serve as interim commandant “until a new commandant is confirmed by the Senate and appointed to the position,” Stenger noted. Mr. Smith, a senior researcher at RAND, stated he “will essentially have to do double duty,” performing both his current job as well as serving as acting commandant, “which is equally if not more demanding.”
Marine Corps restriction by law
The US Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right to abortion in June 2022, which means military stationed in areas that have since prohibited the procedure must now take leave and travel to areas where it is allowed to acquire one. In response, Defense Secretary Austin directed the Defense Department to develop policies allowing service members to take administrative leave to receive “non-covered reproductive health care,” which were released in February, as well as to establish travel and transportation allowances to help them cover costs.
Senator Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, tweeted in mid-February that Defense Secretary Austin is “following through on his radical plan to facilitate thousands of abortions a year with taxpayer dollars,” and that he will “hold all DoD civilian & general/flag officer nominees that come before the US Senate.” He has stated that the hold “has no effect on readiness,” and that he will maintain it “until the Pentagon follows the law (or) Congress changes the law.”
Other top officers, including Army Chief of Staff General James McConville, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, are set to leave office in the coming months. “The tenure of service chiefs is limited by law, and thus, incumbents must vacate their positions at the appointed time and may only be extended under extraordinary circumstances,” Defense Secretary Austin said in an early May letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Without these leaders in place, the US military will incur an unnecessary and unprecedented degree of risk at a moment when our adversaries may seek to test our resolve,” he said.