Most Alabama voters believe Senator Tommy Tuberville should lift his hold on military promotions. That’s according to Public Policy Polling, a polling firm that surveyed 577 Alabamians between Aug. 4 and 5. Tuberville has put all Senate confirmations on hold since February.
“All promotions in the military are subject to Senate confirmation. When you get into the General Officer, Flag Officer, generals and admirals confirmation process, from time to time and to make a point, a senator will place a hold on either a specific person or several persons,” said retired Major General Paul Eaton, who served in the U.S. Army for 33 years. “But I’ve never in my memory seen someone do it as long, as damaging and as broad as Senator Tuberville. I’ve never seen one person make life miserable for so many people, and for such a large organization like the Defense Department.”
Tuberville has blocked all incoming senior military promotions, protesting a Defense Department (DoD) policy. The policy reimburses travel costs to help relocate military personnel seeking an abortion or other health care services that are otherwise restricted or banned in the state they are stationed in. For example, if a pregnant service member seeks an abortion but is stationed in Alabama, where such services are illegal, the Army or other military branch is obliged to relocate them so that they can receive proper reproductive care. The policy also allows paid leave during relocation.
“We tell people to go where we need them. We create and must maintain an egalitarian approach, so that all our men and women are treated equally and that they get the same health care across the board,” Eaton said. “If we have a serious medical event with one of our men or women, we move them at Army cost to a location where they will get proper health care. That's the way Congress manages the U.S. military. That's the bottom line… [Tuberville] is targeting 16% of the U.S. military. That is all our women. He’s targeting them and the DoD policy to support them in their reproductive health decisions.”
According to Public Policy Polling, 54% of Alabamians surveyed believed the Pentagon policy itself was wrong and should be reversed, while 36% agreed with the policy. However, another 58%, including Republican voters, believed that Senator Tuberville made his point and should lift his hold on senior military promotions.
Since Tuberville first began his hold on Senate confirmations, more than 300 military positions have been disrupted. The U.S. Marine Corps has been waiting for its Commandant for nearly 170 days. This is the first time the Marine Corps has not had an active Commandant in 164 years. The Army is also without a Chief of Staff. And the Navy awaits a Chief of Naval Operations. All three services are functioning without a Senate-confirmed senior military officer, a first in U.S. and DoD history.
In July, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said if Tuberville continues his hold on promotions, the number of military leadership positions affected could rise to 650 by the end of the year.
“Tuberville is a football coach. He understands how to put teams together,” Eaton said. “The president of Auburn University wouldn’t go into his football team building process and say, ‘I don’t want that quarterback. I think you’re making a mistake,’ and disrupt a fine team. Tuberville is going into the team building that we spent a lot of time doing in the military… [Now], we don’t have the senior-most leadership who are going to chart the future of the Army, the Marine Corps and, recently, the Navy. That damages how we build for the future. It makes America look unserious about how we defend ourselves and prosecute our foreign policy. It's just terrible messaging all around.”
The impact of Tuberville’s hold can even be felt in North Alabama. Redstone Arsenal is looking to permanently fill its director position for the Missile Defense Agency, which develops and fields an integrated Missile Defense System to protect the U.S., forward deployed forces and allies from hostile missile attacks.
“That’s a program you want to get right. When you put somebody in that program as the boss, that person has the opportunity to chart the future of U.S. rocketry and missiles,” Eaton said. “Right now, we’ve got a brigadier general running the show. I’m sure that person is a great brigadier, but he’s not the boss. He’s not the three-star [general]. This is a local problem for Alabama and for our command in Huntsville. We give people ranks so that they can interact and get things done. We’re all going through a modernization series [in the military], and it’s very important to have continuity of leadership. We don’t have that right now.”
Eaton said this hold does not just impact current and future senior service members; it impacts all active service members.
“If you frustrate a four star, that frustration goes all the way down to the privates. When you can’t move one [person], it has a trickle-down effect all through the chain of command,” he said.
Eaton said it also impacts all military branches seeking to enlist new recruits.
“One-third of Army generals have children who choose to go into the Army. We recruit very heavily from our senior ranks,” he said. “For Senator Tuberville to be doing what he’s doing has a terrible impact on recruiting, and recruiting is tough right now. Unemployment is as low as it’s been in 50 years, and we’re all going after the best and brightest in America. We have to present a very good image that [these new recruits] are not wasting their time on an occupation where they are dismissed or disrespected by men like Tuberville. It’s a terrible, terrible message.”
In addition to general disapproval among Alabama voters, Public Policy Polling also found that 55% of Alabamians surveyed believed Tuberville’s hold is harming national security. Another 25% believed his decision had no impact on national security and 9% believed it helped national security. Eaton said senior positions that go unfilled by confirmed promotions could certainly harm national security, especially on a scale as grand as Tuberville’s.
“I find it very distressing to see an elected official create turmoil that, typically, we expect to see from enemies, foreign and domestic,” he said. “I’m not saying Senator Tuberville is an enemy, but he is doing the work for them. He is creating a very high rate of turmoil in the Armed Forces, and he is doing an injustice to the way America secures itself.”
It is not just individuals like Eaton and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who hold critical views of Tuberville since his hold. Public Policy Polling found that it’s voters too. Among the 577 Alabamians surveyed earlier this month, 45% now view the senator less favorably than they did before the hold. However, 23% said the hold made no difference on their support of him and 26% said they now view him more favorably. Tuberville has himself stated that the hold on nominations will not affect military readiness and, therefore, not negatively impact national security.
Eaton, alongside several other retired General and Flag Officers, recently wrote an open letter discussing Tuberville’s decision to hold senior military promotions and how the Senate approval process should remain apolitical. The letter was delivered to all 100 U.S. senators along with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“The Senate has historically approved promotions on a bipartisan basis, recognizing the importance of an orderly transition of military commands,” the letter read. “Senators have a prerogative to hold nominations, and there is precedent for doing so… Past holds have been resolved in a timely manner, demonstrating the devotion of all parties to national security over partisan politics.”
Eaton is also a senior advisor for the liberal political action committee VoteVets, which issues public issue campaigns to amplify veteran perspectives on issues like national security, veterans’ care and other everyday issues. Eaton said Alabamians who disagree with Tuberville’s stance on military promotions should contact his office and make their voices heard.
“We all support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That’s the oath everyone both in uniform and civilian service to America takes,” he said. “The bottom line is, in any government or bureaucracy, when you see a mistake, you are duty bound to act. I have walked the halls of Congress quite a lot. I have seen young Americans at desks taking phone calls from constituents. They will write down who called, what they talked about and what they wanted. The senator or representative will see that piece of paper before the dawn arrives next day, and they will act.”
Above all else, Eaton said all Alabamians should consider Tuberville’s actions and how they might impact the state’s reputation.
“One of my classmates was the daughter of Governor George Wallace, a young lady named Peggy,” he said. “Everybody looked to her. She was the model citizen. She demonstrated the wonderful values that I expect to see from the state of Alabama. I just want the folks of Alabama to do the right thing. Move politically. Move to make sure their reputation as a pro-military and as a highly productive state is not sullied by this particular senator.”
Readers can contact Senator Tuberville’s office in Washington D.C. by calling 202-224-4124 or by emailing Tuberville on his website.
