The Biden administration has nominated Gen. Eric Smith, the current assistant commandant, to be the Marine Corps top officer.

His promotion requires Senate confirmation. If approved, Smith would replace Gen. David Berger as commandant of the Marine Corps. Smith’s nomination hasn’t been announced by the service, but Congress received it on Tuesday, according to Congress’s website.

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Smith served as the commander of a Marines regiment in 2011 in Afghanistan while he also deployed to Iraq twice, including a tour in 2005 where he served as the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines.

A number of current members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are on the verge of completing their terms, while the White House has already announced some of their successors.

Last Thursday, President Joe Biden nominated Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ahead of Army Gen. Mark Milley’s approaching departure.

Brown Jr.’s new position creates an opening for the Air Force’s chief of staff position, while Gen. Randy George, the Army’s vice chief of staff, was selected to follow Gen. James McConville as the Army’s top officer.

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All military nominations are being held up by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who has objected to the department’s updated policies put in place following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. In light of many conservative states issuing strong abortion restriction laws, the department announced it would pay for the travel expenses accumulated in the event a service member, or one’s loved one, has to travel out of state for the procedure. Tuberville insists this violates the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions.

The Department of Justice has “conclude[d] that DoD may lawfully expend funds for this purpose under its express statutory authorities and, independently, under the necessary expense doctrine.”

Original Location: Biden has made his pick for top Marine officer

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