ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After 38 years in uniform, Admiral Mike Gilday called it a career.
In a perfect world, Gilday would've seamlessly turned over the reins as Chief of Naval Operations to Admiral Lisa Franchetti.
But it wasn't to be.
She assumed the title of Acting Chief of Naval Operations and the Navy became the third branch of the Armed Forces to lack a Senate-confirmed chief of staff, along with the Army and the Marine Corps.
"This is unprecedented. It is unnecessary. And it is unsafe," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during a ceremony Monday at the U.S. Naval Academy.
The bottleneck is all due to one man: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). Since March, Tuberville has exercised his Senatorial privilege to place a hold on more than 300 senior officers' promotions over his opposition to a Pentagon policy that allows military members to be reimbursed for travel to seek abortion care.
Gilday did not mention the controversy.
"I, too, believe that it is well past time for the United States Senate to address the nominations of the over 300 flag and general officers across all services," said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. "Not doing so will continue to degrade readiness and will even put the very lives yes, very lives of our service men and women -- your young men and women -- at risk, by not allowing our most experienced warfighters to lead."
The Pentagon estimates that if the impasse isn't resolved by year's end, the careers of 650 of the nation's 852 generals and admirals will be impacted by Tuberville's hold.
The highest-profile vacancy will come up in September when General Mark Milley must lawfully depart as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles "CQ" Brown Junior is in line to replace him.
But that promotion is on hold, too, along with the Air Force Chief of Staff position.