(Washington) The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed General Charles Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one of hundreds of nominations blocked by a Republican senator opposed to abortion.
This African-American general was presented in May by President Joe Biden as a “warrior” endowed with the greatest military qualities, but also mobilized against racism.
He will become the second African-American to serve as chief of staff of the armed forces, after Colin Powell from 1989 to 1993 and will be under the orders of a Minister of Defense who is also black: Lloyd Austin.
The validation of his nomination, approved by 83 votes to 11, was blocked, like more than 300 others, by Senator Tommy Tuberville, a strong wind against a Pentagon policy favorable to access to abortion for female soldiers.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also initiated the process for votes to be held on the confirmation of two other nominations: that of General Randy George as chief of staff of the Army of Earth and that of General Eric Smith as commander of the Marine Corps.
“They should already be at their new posts. The Senate should not be forced into procedural contortions just to please one brash and misguided senator,” Mr. Schumer said earlier on Wednesday.
Charles Brown is the current commander of the Air Force and will replace General Mark Milley when the latter retires on September 29.
He is a highly experienced former pilot, described by President Biden as “a reckless leader and unyielding patriot.”
“Wrong” impression of instability
The Senate usually approves military appointments quickly and by unanimous consent.
But for months, Tommy Tuberville, senator from Alabama, has deliberately blocked hundreds of appointments to military positions. The Republican opposes a Pentagon policy of financial aid to military personnel who must travel for abortions, since states removed the right to abortion after a Supreme Court decision last year.
PHOTO JONATHAN ERNST, REUTERS
Tommy Tuberville
The Senate can overcome this obstacle by holding a vote on each nomination, but the process then becomes much longer than the usual procedure for approving them unanimously, without a vote.
Mr. Schumer had until now been reluctant to hold these individual votes. He only decided to do so to counter an attempt by Mr. Tuberville to force a vote on the sole nomination of General Eric Smith.
Tommy Tuberville stuck to his position Wednesday, assuring that he would continue his blockade “as long as the Pentagon’s illegal policies on abortion remain in place.”
US defense officials have repeatedly warned of the negative repercussions of this delay in validating appointments.
Mr. Milley told AFP last month that the situation could give adversaries the “erroneous” impression that the United States was in a situation of “internal division, instability, confusion and friction at the highest level of (their) army”.