Senators have left Washington for their annual 5-week summer recess without confirming almost 300 military officers. This is due to the personal politics of one senator who is allowing their stance on abortion to overshadow the urgent needs of our Armed Service members, their families, and our national security.
A lot has been written about the obstinance of Alabama Republican Sen. Tuberville. Military spouses have taken the time to explain to Tuberville how his political fight adds unnecessary stress to the lives of military families. Many of these families don’t even know where they will be living or where to register their children for school.
Others have pointed out the growing national security issue that he is creating. However, many Americans fail to realize how this impacts day-to-day military operations. Unless you have served in the military, it’s difficult to understand how seemingly insignificant personnel decisions can have a major impact on our military and wider security apparatus.
I have firsthand experience in this arena. As a Marine Major stationed at the Pentagon from 2016 to 2019, I represented the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on conventional arms control negotiations in Europe. This was a critical time for arms negotiations as Russia was modernizing its military and preparing for its invasion of Ukraine. Throughout my time there, the United States did not have an ambassador at the negotiations because it took nearly two years for the White House to nominate one to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Back home, most people didn’t care about the lack of an ambassador to the OSCE. However, I witnessed how the absence of top-level leadership affected us. Our allies had questions, and Russia made comments. We appeared unserious and lacked a clear policy lead.
This absence of leadership meant that those in lower positions had to take on more responsibility, which in turn transferred work down the chain of command. This redistribution of responsibility placed unnecessary strain on the organization as a whole, making it harder to achieve our mission. There was less capacity to persuade our allies to take firm positions on Russia and its energy reliance, which funded its aggressive military actions. We had fewer opportunities to advocate for American interests and demonstrate our strength. And this was all because there was just one person missing at the top. Now, the military is lacking almost 300 top officers. If you continue to strain an organization, it will eventually break.
Sen. Tuberville is causing this unnecessary strain on the United States military. It has immediate consequences, but there is also long-term damage that will continue to hinder our military even after this stunt is over. Every officer who is not promoted to replace a retiring officer stretches the military even thinner. More and more officers will have to take on multiple critical roles simultaneously. Dozens, if not hundreds, of military officers will have to explain why the U.S. is sending lower-ranked individuals to important meetings and negotiations worldwide.
When China sends a high-ranking general to meet with another country and we send a one-star acting commander, it undermines our country, our position, and our national security. Whether we like it or not, it sends a message that we don’t care and aren’t serious. It makes other nations question our resolve. Weakening the position of our representatives overseas not only threatens our standing in the world but also our country’s safety. And that is exactly what Sen. Tuberville is doing.
Sen. Tuberville is counting on the fact that most Americans won’t understand the harm he is causing. This is why he can get away with making cavalier statements like “there’s nobody more military than me.” It’s up to veterans like myself to speak out about the damage this causes. We must share our personal experiences when Washington politics obstruct the mission. And most importantly, we must demand that Sen. Tuberville puts an end to his dangerous game.
He has the opportunity and the responsibility to prioritize the country over his political agenda.
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