<br>An abortion battle causes mayhem in America’s military ranks<br><p data-caps=”initial” class=”article__body-text article__body-text–dropcap“>The handsome white-painted house at 801 G Street SE, one of the oldest public buildings in Washington, DC, has been home to all but two commandants of the Marine Corps since 1806. This week, though, it has no occupant for the first time in more than a century. General David Berger, the outgoing chief, retired on July 10th. His deputy, Eric Smith, cannot move in because the Senate has not confirmed him. He holds the job in an acting capacity, with limitations, and has no deputy. </p><br><p class=”article__body-text”>Similarly his would-be boss, General Charles “CQ” Brown, the air-force chief, is in a holding pattern as the Senate delays his appointment to succeed Mark Milley as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. All told, about 275 nominations of generals and flag officers, including front-line commanders, have been halted. About 650 are liable to be stymied by the end of the year, with a knock-on impact down the chains of promotion, not to mention the disruption to staff and families. </p><br><p class=”article__body-text”>The world’s mightiest fighting machine finds itself obstructed by a former college-football coach, Tommy Tuberville, a Republican senator from Alabama. A devotee of the former president, Donald Trump, he has struggled to decide whether white nationalists are racists. “Coach” Tuberville’s reason for running interference against military officers? To protest against the Pentagon’s policy of giving leave to, and paying the travel expenses of, servicewomen seeking abortions outside the states where they are deployed. </p>
2023-07-13 07:31:38
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