WASHINGTON – After months of delays, the Army and Marine Corps finally have senior officers to represent their service branches on the Joint Staff.
The Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to confirm the nominations of General Randy George to head the Army and General Eric Smith to command the Marine Corps.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Wednesday announced that he is sending the confirmation — normally handled by the Senate Armed Services Committee — to a floor vote.
The Marine Corps has been without a top officer and a confirmed Joint Staff representative since early July, when former Commandant David Berger retired.
And the Army is in the same place after former Army Chief of Staff General James McConville relinquished orders Aug. 4.
Schumer’s decision to submit a nomination was offered as a solution to the detention of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) for months to confirm more than 315 officials for key leadership positions in protest of the Pentagon’s policy to pay for the military. travel abroad for reproductive services — including abortion and in-vitro fertilization.
After months of delays, the Army and Marine Corps finally have senior officers to represent their service branches on the Joint Staff.AP
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — which can approve military nominations quickly and in bulk — Tuberville can block quick confirmations because the vote must be unanimous on the decision.
But after voting Wednesday against the confirmation of incoming Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Tuberville joined colleagues Thursday to unanimously confirm Smith, with George also confirmed — only overruled by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Lee and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt ( R-Mo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and JD Vance (R-Ohio) all joined Tuberville in voting for Brown’s nomination on Wednesday. Brown was eventually confirmed by a vote of 83-11.
The Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to confirm the nominations of General Randy George to head the Army and General Eric Smith to command the Marine Corps.AP
In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin congratulated the generals on their promotions, but slammed the delays, saying they were “long overdue.”
“Ensuring that we have Senate-confirmed military leaders is critical to our nation’s defense and the readiness of our forces,” he said.
Although Brown, George and Smith are now confirmed, Tuberville’s hold would continue to block the promotion of 316 other military officers nominated for key positions, which Austin called “unprecedented, unnecessary and unsafe.”
After voting Wednesday against the confirmation of incoming Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Sen. Tommy Tuberville joined colleagues Thursday to unanimously confirm Smith, with George also confirmed.AP
“We continue to see the effects of the detention of more than 300 general officers and our outstanding flag,” he said.
“I am committed to engaging with members of Congress until all of our highly qualified flag and general officers are confirmed.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
