Three generals were on track for confirmation, but Senator Tommy Tuberville, the Alabama Republican who has been blocking them, said he would continue to hold up others over a Pentagon abortion policy.
The Pentagon said the decision was because of military readiness, but it comes as the Republican senator from Alabama has held up military promotions to protest an abortion access policy.
The Alabama Republican’s bid to force the Pentagon to drop a policy ensuring access to abortion services for personnel could leave the Joint Chiefs of Staff with more temporary occupants than it has ever faced.