The Pentagon responded Tuesday to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville saying he would block the nomination of a general based on Tuberville’s concerns about the secrecy surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization.
Tuberville said Monday he would block the nomination of Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark that would promote him to four-star commander of the U.S. Army Pacific force.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder defended Clark during a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday.
“Gen. Clark is a highly qualified senior officer, a leader,” Ryder said.
“He was nominated for this critical position because of his expertise and his strategic-level experience. When you look at the experience that someone like Gen. Clark has leading at senior commands, throughout the world at all echelons, he’s exactly the kind of leader that we need in our priority theater, leading U.S. forces. And so, we would urge the senate to confirm all of our qualified nominees. As we’ve seen before, all of these kind of holds can undermine our military readiness.”
Clark is a senior military assistant to Austin, who was hospitalized in January for complications from prostate surgery.
Some lawmakers called for Austin — a native of Mobile — to resign for not initially sharing information about his medical condition. Austin said a wider circle of people, including President Joe Biden, should have been notified.
“Sen. Tuberville has concerns about Lt. Gen. Clark’s actions during Secretary Austin’s hospitalization,” a spokesperson for Tuberville confirmed in an email to AL.com.
“Lt. Gen. Clark knew that Sec. Austin was incapacitated and did not tell the Commander in Chief. As a senior commissioned officer, Lt. Gen. Clark’s oath requires him to notify POTUS when the chain of command is compromised. Sen. Tuberville is waiting to see the forthcoming IG (inspector general) report.”
Ryder responded to the allegation that Austin’s illness affected military readiness.
“When we did our review, it was clear that at no time was there a gap in the chain of command,” Ryder said.
Clark, 58, was Austin’s senior military assistant on Dec. 22, when the defense secretary underwent surgery for prostate cancer.
Austin was then admitted a week later to intensive care after he developed severe complications from the procedure. Austin, 71, was hospitalized for about two weeks and diagnosed with infections in his urinary tract and bladder.
Clark and other senior members of Austin’s staff did not know about his cancer diagnosis and surgery until he was in intensive care on Jan. 2, and then withheld that information from Biden and senior White House officials for two more days once they were made aware.
The Pentagon disclosed Austin’s hospitalization to Congress and the American public on Jan. 5, three days after his top aides learned about it. The secrecy angered lawmakers from both political parties, who said the defense secretary’s decision showed a lack of judgment.
Tuberville in 2023 blocked the promotions of more than 400 senior military officers over a Pentagon policy granting leave and travel cost reimbursement to troops who need to travel to obtain reproductive health care, including abortions.
He eventually dropped his hold under immense pressure from members of both parties.
