Medical and Hospital News
SUPERPOWERS
Top US military officer approved after abortion dispute delay
Top US military officer approved after abortion dispute delay
By W.G. DUNLOP
Washington (AFP) Sept 21, 2023

US senators voted Wednesday to confirm General Charles Brown as the country's next top military officer, one of hundreds of nominations that have been stalled by a lawmaker's protest against Pentagon abortion access policies.

Brown was approved 83-11 and will become the second Black officer to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- after Colin Powell from 1989-1993 -- at a time when the Pentagon is headed by Lloyd Austin, the country's first Black secretary of defense.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer also moved to set up votes on the nominations of General Randy George as chief of staff of the Army and General Eric Smith as commandant of the Marine Corps.

"They should already be serving in their new positions. The Senate should not have to go through procedural hoops just to please one brazen and misguided senator," Schumer said on the Senate floor, voicing his frustration with Senator Tommy Tuberville.

President Joe Biden selected Brown -- who is currently chief of staff of the US Air Force -- in May to become chairman after General Mark Milley retires on September 29, and the Senate usually approves military nominations quickly through unanimous consent.

But Tuberville -- a Republican from Alabama who voted against Brown -- has blocked that option for months in opposition to Pentagon efforts to assist troops who must travel to receive reproductive health care that is unavailable where they are stationed.

The Defense Department issued the policies earlier this year in response to the 2022 Supreme Court decision striking down the nationwide right to abortion.

They allow service members to take administrative absences to receive "non-covered reproductive health care," and established travel allowances to help them cover costs.

Because of Tuberville's actions, the Senate can only approve military nominations individually, which takes far longer -- calculated to be a total of about 30 days and 17 hours for all of them if lawmakers worked the entire period without stopping, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in an August 23 memo.

That estimate was based on there being 273 military nominations awaiting votes. The number currently stands at more than 300.

- Security and readiness -

Schumer had resisted holding individual votes until now, only doing so to head off a move by Tuberville to force one on Smith's nomination alone, which the Democratic senator said amounted to the Republican "essentially trying to make himself the gatekeeper of which officers are promoted and who sits and waits."

Tuberville still refuses to back down, saying that his "hold will remain in place as long as the Pentagon's illegal abortion policy remains in place."

"If the Pentagon lifts the policy, then I will lift my hold," he said -- something the Defense Department has previously insisted it will not do.

US defense officials have repeatedly warned of the negative impacts of the nominations delay, and Milley told AFP last month that it could erroneously signal "instability, confusion, friction" in the armed forces, potentially emboldening America's adversaries.

The US Marine Corps commandant stepped down on July 10, and Smith has been performing two jobs -- vice commandant and acting head of the service -- for more than two months.

George has been in the same situation since August 4, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who has been nominated to head the Navy, since August 14.

The situation would have worsened further if Brown -- an experienced pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, 130 of them in combat -- had not been approved in time.

Milley said in August that some "20 to 30 percent of all the organizations in the military are being somehow impacted with a lack of predictability and certainty of leadership rotations" as a result of the delayed nominations, and that military families were also being affected by the uncertainty.

Austin congratulated Brown on his confirmation in a statement that also took aim at Tuberville's delay of the nominations, which the US defense chief said "endangers our national security and military readiness."

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SUPERPOWERS
Putin says accepted Xi's invitation to visit China in October
Moscow (AFP) Sept 20, 2023
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he had accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping's invitation to travel to China in October. China and Russia describe each other as strategic allies, with both countries frequently touting their "no limits" partnership and economic and military cooperation. They came even closer after the start of Russia's offensive in Ukraine in February last year, which China has refused to criticise. "I was pleased to accept the invitation of the Chairman of th ... read more

SUPERPOWERS
Blockbuster movie scares Chinese tourists away from Thailand

As Derna reels, other flood-hit Libyan cities struggle to recover

Morocco sets aside nearly $12 bn for quake recovery

Libya flood disaster displaced over 43,000 people: IOM

SUPERPOWERS
Galileo becomes faster for every user

Present and future of satellite navigation

New Galileo station goes on duty

Potential earthquake precursor discovered through GPS measurements

SUPERPOWERS
Fears for ancient Cyrene after Libya floods

Need to hunt small prey compelled humans to make better weapons and smarten up

Hong Kong's top court rules to recognise same-sex partnerships

New ancient ape from Turkiye challenges the story of human origins

SUPERPOWERS
New Zealand probes mystery illness killing rare penguins

Most species of 'world's largest flower' risk extinction: study

Google AI tool predicts danger of genetic mutations

Scientists warn entire branches of the 'Tree of Life' are going extinct

SUPERPOWERS
WHO calls on China for 'full access' for Covid investigators: FT

UN warns of disease threat in flood-hit Libyan city

Dire hygiene spells new threat for Morocco quake survivors

India's Nipah virus outbreak: what do we know so far?

SUPERPOWERS
High-level disappearances deepen China's political black hole

Chinese youths trade city-living for ceramics

Chinese labor activists indicted for subversion; Trial begins for Chinese #MeToo journalist

China weighs ban on clothing that 'hurts feelings' of nation

SUPERPOWERS
Bitcoin machines, rocket-launchers seized in Venezuela prison

Report faults British government for 'dismal understanding' of Wagner threat

China tells Myanmar junta to 'root out' online scam groups

SUPERPOWERS
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.