It will take the United States years to come back from Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade of military appointments, Admiral Lisa Franchetti told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday during her confirmation hearing to be the Chief of Naval Operations. Franchetti is one of over 300 military nominees whose confirmation is being held up by Tuberville as the senator protests a policy allowing servicemembers access to abortions. “Just at the three-star level, it would take about three to four months just to move all the people around,” Franchetti told senators during the hearing. “But it will take years to recover… from the promotion delays that we would see.” Franchetti has been leading the Navy in the interim since last month, with the heads of the Marine Corps and the Army similarly awaiting confirmation. “Our Navy families are dealing with a lot of uncertainty,” Franchetti said at the hearing. “I have heard a lot of concerns from our families that they are having difficulty navigating that space right now.”
