DoD chief warns of disruptions as Army, Marines lack confirmed leaders

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that troop readiness and retention is at risk as the Army’s chief stepped down Friday, leaving the military’s two ground combat forces without Senate-confirmed leaders for the first time in history.

Speaking during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Austin said the Senate’s failure to confirm the services’ new leaders is disruptive to the force and could impact relationships with allies and partners around the globe.

The confirmation of the next Army chief and Marine commandant are among more than 300 military nominations stalled by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican, over the Pentagon’s policy to pay for travel when a service member has to go out of state to get an abortion or other reproductive care.

“Today for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, two of our services will be operating without Senate confirmed leadership,” said Austin. “Great teams need great leaders, and that’s central to maintaining the full might of the most lethal fighting force on earth.”

Army Gen. James McConville is retiring and Gen. Randy George, the current vice chief has been nominated to become the next chief of the service. On Friday, George became the acting chief. Similarly, Marine Gen. Eric Smith has been nominated to be the next commandant, but is serving in an acting capacity now because he hasn’t been confirmed.

Both can serve as “acting” chiefs, but can do nothing that would presume confirmation. As a result, they can’t move into the main residences or offices, or issue formal planning guidance, which is traditional for a new leader. And officials have also warned that there are some authorities, including some budgeting powers, that don’t shift to acting leaders.

“We need these leaders in place to ensure the readiness of our force,” said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, speaking at the ceremony. “And we need to end all of this uncertainty for our military families.” She noted that officers and their families are in limbo, waiting to see if they will move or not to new bases, states and job.

Smith addressed the issue in a letter to the force on Thursday, laying out the need for the Corps to continue modernization efforts and broader programs to improve warfighting.

“Until the Senate confirms our 39th Commandant, this guidance will serve as our reference point,” Smith said. " I cannot predict how long this process may take, but waiting is not an option for Marines, so we will move out as a team – just as we would in combat.”

Tuberville has blocked efforts to have Senate votes on all nominations for senior military jobs because he disagrees with the travel pay policy. And congress is now out on summer vacation, which means there will be no action on the jobs for weeks.

Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, will step down on Monday. Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, the current vice chief, has been nominated to take over.

Further complicating things, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown has been nominated to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when Army Gen. Mark Milley leaves, as required by law, on Sept. 30. The current vice chairman, Adm. Christopher Grady, would serve as acting chairman.

Brown, whose term as Air Force chief goes for another year, will remain in that post. Gen. David Allvin has been nominated to be the next Air Force chief, if Brown moves to the chairman’s job.

华盛顿——国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀警告说，随着陆军参谋长周五辞职，美军两大地面作战部队历史上首次没有参议院确认的领导人，部队的战备和留任都面临风险。

奥斯汀在迈尔-亨德森联合基地大厅举行的仪式上发表讲话时表示，参议院未能确认各军种的新领导人，这对军队造成了扰乱，并可能影响与全球盟友和伙伴的关系。

阿拉巴马州共和党参议员汤米·图伯维尔阻挠了 300 多项军事提名，其中包括下一任陆军参谋长和海军陆战队司令的确认。他阻挠的原因是五角大楼的一项政策，即当军人必须到外州接受堕胎或其他生殖保健服务时，五角大楼应支付其差旅费用。

奥斯汀说：“今天，国防部历史上首次有两个军种将在没有参议院确认的领导人的情况下运作。优秀的团队需要优秀的领导者，这对于维持地球上最致命的作战力量的全部威力至关重要。”

陆军上将詹姆斯·麦康维尔即将退休，现任副参谋长兰迪·乔治上将已被提名为下一任参谋长。上周五，乔治上将正式就任代理参谋长。同样，海军陆战队上将埃里克·史密斯也被提名为下一任司令官，但由于尚未获得正式任命，目前也担任代理司令官。

两人均可担任“代理”首长，但不能采取任何需要获得正式任命的行动。因此，他们不能搬进主要住所或办公室，也不能发布正式的规划指导意见，而这些通常是新领导人的惯例。官员们还警告说，包括部分预算权在内的一些权力不会移交给代理领导人。

陆军部长克里斯汀·沃姆斯在仪式上表示：“我们需要这些领导人到位，以确保部队的战备状态。我们也需要消除军属们目前面临的所有不确定性。”她指出，军官及其家属正处于进退两难的境地，等待着是否能调往新的基地、州或岗位。

史密斯周四在一封致部队的信中谈到了这个问题，阐述了海军陆战队需要继续推进现代化工作和更广泛的计划，以提高作战能力。

“在参议院确认第39任司令官人选之前，这份指导方针将作为我们的参考依据，”史密斯说。“我无法预测这个过程需要多长时间，但对海军陆战队员来说，等待是不可接受的，所以我们将像在战场上一样，团结一致地行动起来。”

图伯维尔阻挠参议院对所有高级军官提名进行投票，因为他不同意差旅费政策。而国会目前正值暑假休会期，这意味着未来几周内这些职位任命将无法进行任何表决。

海军作战部长迈克尔·吉尔迪上将将于周一卸任。现任副部长丽莎·M·弗兰切蒂上将已被提名为接任者。

更复杂的是，空军上将CQ·布朗已被提名为下一任参谋长联席会议主席，接替将于9月30日依法卸任的陆军上将马克·米利。现任副主席克里斯托弗·格雷迪海军上将将担任代理主席。

布朗的空军参谋长任期还有一年，他将继续留任。如果布朗转任参谋长联席会议主席，戴维·奥尔文将军已被提名为下一任空军参谋长。