WATCH: video of Sen. Reed’s remarks

WASHNGTON, DC -- Due to partisan posturing by a handful of Republican Senators, the United States Marine Corps has no Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in over a century.  This self-inflicted damage to the U.S. military has been caused by an irresponsible Republican Senate ploy, led by U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), to halt merit-based promotions for senior military leaders.

Today, after attending the change of command ceremony for outgoing Marine Commandant General David Berger, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to advocate for the timely confirmation of the next Commandant, General Eric Smith.

Text of Reed’s remarks follows:

SEN. REED:  Today I rise to speak on General and Flag officer confirmations, specifically the urgent need to confirm the next Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.

The Senator from Alabama strongly objects to an entirely legal and appropriate travel regulation implemented under a Department of Defense long-established authority which ensures that all servicemembers and their families have equal access to medical care. To show his disagreement with a legal civilian-crafted regulation, the Senator from Alabama has held up the apolitical nominations of 251 senior military officers for over four months.

My colleague from Alabama has made it clear that he will continue his hold on these military officers unless and until he gets his way. He does so despite precedent, and again with a less than meritorious legal case – in fact no legal case at all, I would argue – and the fact that members of his own party have objected to this blockade, including the Republican leader. This blockade weakens our national security. Every day it goes on it has a more significant impact on operations within our military – all branches of our military.

While our military will always do whatever is necessary to get the job done – they will always be ready and always give their all, they’ll tell you – this hold is unnecessary, unprecedented, and is driving the U.S. military, at a critical time in national security, to a potential breaking point.

It is also an affront to the military and their families—whom so many of us just lauded for their sacrifices during our Fourth of July celebrations.  My colleagues thanked them profusely, but do not recognize that they are professional officers who deserve consideration not as political chips, but as men and women of our services.

Those of my colleagues who support this unprecedented delay are themselves politicizing the military by the very nature of their actions. These promotions have always been confirmed by unanimous consent very soon after being reported to the floor, or on the rare occasion, a single overwhelming vote without cloture. But now, in refusing to confirm these promotions, the uniformed military, previously and appropriately shielded from partisan politics, is now thrust into the midst of politics. This behavior was once reserved only for individual political appointees, civilian political appointees, on specific matters of dispute, usually with some reasonable or negotiable solution. No more. It seems it’s “my way” or no way at all. And it’s a sad demonstration.

The Senator from Alabama often says if we really wanted these generals and admirals, we would just vote. But I would like to explain that. The Senator is not allowing a simple vote. He is demanding cloture first on every nomination. So, we asked the Congressional Research Service what it would take to process 251 nominations with cloture. They estimate that to file cloture on all the nominations being held would take approximately 5 hours. Then, two days later, the Senate could start voting. It would take approximately 668 hours to confirm all these military nominations. That is 27 days if the Senate works around the clock, 24/7. If the Senate just did exclusively military nominations for 8 hours a day, it would take 84 days. So “just vote” is not an answer. This is not a feasible solution to this issue.

Now let me be clear, we have offered the Senator from Alabama opportunities to voice his opinion on the policy matter which he opposes.  For example, before recess, we marked up the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. During that markup, we had a separate debate and vote on Senator Ernst’s bill, S. 822, entitled “Modification to Department of Defense Travel Authorities for Abortion-Related Expenses Act.” We then had the debate and vote a second time, when the Ernst bill was offered to the Chairman’s markup of the NDAA. I expect we’ll likely be debating this issue in the NDAA when it comes to the floor.

This is yet another opportunity to address the policy my colleagues find objectionable. And as long as I’ve been here, the essence of this body is, when you have a difficult issue, you debate it, you discuss it, and then you take a vote. We’ve already taken several votes and still, this unprecedented hold goes on. 

I don’t think we can continue to allow 251 men and women who have served and sacrificed, and their families, which makes this impact thousands, not just 251. I don’t think we can let them fester any longer, wondering if they are going to get their promotion or not.

But today let me speak about one specific position who I do not think we can ignore – and that is the position of the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

By law, the present Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David Berger, must end his service tomorrow, the 11th of July. His replacement, General Eric Smith, who had a hearing before the Armed Services Committee on June 13th, and was then voted out unanimously on June 21, awaits our action. General Berger does not require further congressional action to retire, but General Smith needs the Senate to act to become the next Commandant.

I can guarantee you that General Berger takes no comfort in ending his career with his successor unsettled. I went this morning to a “relinquishment of office” ceremony for General Berger. Now, anyone with any experience with the military knows that the typical ceremony is a “Change of Command.” But that could not be accomplished today because the commander has not been confirmed, the new Commandant.

To the military, in particular, ceremony matters. The visual of the outgoing leader passing the guidon, or battle colors, to the incoming leader shows the continuous, unbroken leadership of an organization. In this case the whole of the Marine Corps.

In 2019, General Berger received the battle colors from General Robert Nellor. This morning, the colors were not passed from one Commandant to another. They were “relinquished”… “relinquished” – a word that is seldom associated with the military. They were relinquished from a retiring Commandant to an acting Commandant. That is embarrassing –not for the U.S. Marine Corps, but for the U.S. Senate. To hear a retiring Commandant publicly ask the Senate to do its job is an indication of how misguided this approach has been.

We need to act. But because of the Senator from Alabama and those who support him, we are unable to do so.

General Berger has faithfully served our nation – voluntarily – for forty two years. He has fought our nation’s wars. He has selflessly served. And he has done so exactly how we expect our military leaders to serve. For the past four years, he has led the Marine Corps through a difficult transition on the way Marines fight so that they are ready for the challenge of the Indo-Pacific. But tomorrow he leaves the Marines without a confirmed leader because of the inability of this body to do its job.

General Berger’s successor, General Eric Smith, is cut from the same cloth. General Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Plano, Texas. He earned his commission in 1987 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at Texas A&M University.

Like every other service member, he has served our nation wherever it has sent him. He has served in peace, and he has served in multiple wars.

So, for those who say this current hold only impacts the generals and admirals…tell that to the marines General Smith commanded included in Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment during Operation Assured Response in Monrovia, Liberia. Tell that to the marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment who General Smith led during Operation Iraqi Freedom; Tell that to the marines of Regimental Combat Team 8 he led during Operation Enduring Freedom.

In General Smith we have a Purple Heart recipient – this man has literally shed his blood for his country.  And with 36 years of service, he’s achieved the rank of four stars. He stands ready to continue his service to our nation and the marines he will lead for four more years. He simply awaits our action.

Our action, and inaction, matter. And more than just our Generals and Admirals are watching.

Some argue that this delay impacts only the nominees. They are wrong. These holds ripple through the ranks. And trust me, young officers and noncommissioned officers are watching. How we treat their leaders, will influence the decisions of future generations about whether the military is worth the sacrifices asked of them and their families.

Right now, a number of military officers who were planning to retire are on an indefinite hold because they have no one confirmed to take their jobs. Others want to go to their new commands but cannot for the same reason. Their families cannot move to their new homes. Their children cannot get ready for a new school. Their spouses cannot take new jobs. This is not a game – these are real lives that have been upended. Due to the pure obstinacy of the Senator from Alabama, the Senate is, in effect, holding thousands of loyal members of the U.S. military and their families in limbo. I believe we owe them more than that.

We are one day from an acting Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. According to the Marine Corps History Division, there have been four acting commandants in the history of the Marine Corps – which was established in 1775, for those who are counting. The last acting commandant served over a century ago in 1910. Three of the four acting commandants were the result of the previous commandant dying in the position of Commandant.

Could General Smith, the current Assistant Commandant, serve as the acting Commandant? Yes, of course. But we must ask ourselves why we would allow it. Why would the Senate allow that to happen with not only our near peer competitors watching, but the eyes of all who serve watching. We have the ability and responsibility to act. We should do so.

Semper Fidelis – Always Faithful – is the Marine Corps motto. Let Congress, this Congress, show a modicum of that faith today and confirm General Eric Smith as the next Commandant.