>In 52 days no more will be in that room
And there's a lid on senior military promotions:
An Alabama senator’s blockade of military nominations isn’t just holding up promotions for senior officers. It’s also jamming up the Pentagon’s policy shop at a critical time.
The Defense Department’s top policy official, Colin Kahl, stepped down on Friday after more than two years in the role. Whoever President Joe Biden nominates to replace Kahl will take on a top civilian job as the department struggles to balance support for Ukraine with countering an increasingly aggressive China.
But Kahl’s replacement will have to get in line behind some 275 senior military officers whose promotions have been stalled for months over Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s objections to the Pentagon’s policy of paying the travel costs for service members seeking abortions. The months long hold is already scrambling the turnover of the military Joint Chiefs: the Marine Corps is already without a Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in 100 years, and the Army and Navy will soon be in a similar position.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/19/tuberville-hold-scrambles-pentagon-policy-shop-00107056