Tuberville's abortion-policy showdown harms military readiness, warns Defense chief.

The Pentagon has warned that a Republican senator's bid to block the promotion of nearly 160 senior US military officers in a dispute arising from the Defense Department's abortion policy is a threat to national security. Senator Tommy Tuberville has caused a "ripple effect in the force that makes us far less ready than we need to be," said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The dispute centers on Austin's approval of a policy granting up to three weeks of paid time off and travel reimbursement for service members and dependents if they travel out of state to receive an abortion.