In a significant development on Capitol Hill, Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has decided to bring an end to his prolonged one-man blockade of over 400 military promotions, a move that garnered extensive attention and criticism over the past 10 months. His protest centered around what he referred to as “woke” military policies that promoted LGBTQ+ inclusion and abortion access, policies that remain unchanged despite his efforts.
Senator Tuberville’s decision comes after mounting pressure from both within and outside his own party. He has agreed to allow the Senate to approve the promotions of military service members with a three-star general rank or below, effectively ending a blockade that had left the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps without confirmed leaders for the first time in 164 years.
However, Tuberville continues to block the promotions of 11 four-star generals, though the purpose behind this action remains unclear. Initially, his blockade aimed to force the military to repeal its policy of funding out-of-state abortion costs for service members in states with restrictive anti-abortion policies. This policy gained prominence after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Yet, Tuberville’s blockade also served as a platform to highlight his concerns about what he saw as “wokeness” infiltrating the U.S. military, asserting that it had become “the weakest military… in my lifetime.” He specifically raised objections to a nonbinary officer on a Navy aircraft carrier reciting a poem about a gay soldier, despite the tradition of U.S. Naval poetry readings dating back to before 1926.
Tuberville’s actions drew criticism from colleagues within the Republican Party, with Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska questioning why American heroes were being punished for a dispute unrelated to their service. Pressure grew further when Senate Democrats proposed a one-time-only rule exception to approve the promotions, a move that reportedly had enough Republican support to pass and would have highlighted on record how many Republican senators opposed Tuberville’s actions.
While Tuberville has ended his blockade, the broader debate surrounding “wokeness” in the military, including efforts to address white supremacists and anti-government extremists within its ranks, continues to be a point of contention among lawmakers and military leaders alike.