The secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force on Monday called for an end to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on the confirmations of senior military officers, writing the Alabama Republican’s blockade is eroding “the foundation of America’s enduring military advantage.”

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth — the top civilians in each branch — wrote an op-ed published Labor Day in The Washington Post. 

Since February, Tuberville has single-handedly been holding up all military confirmations in protest of a Pentagon policy offering time off and travel reimbursements for service members who need to go out of state for abortions following the Supreme Court’s ruling last year overturning Roe v. Wade.

As a result, nearly 300 nominees have been left waiting, and three of the five military branches — the Army, Navy and Marine Corps — lack Senate-confirmed staff chiefs, leaving acting officials with limited powers in place.

“And it is putting our national security at risk,” the secretaries wrote.

Del Toro, Kendall and Wormuth wrote that many generals and admirals are being forced to performed two jobs simultaneously.

“The strain of this double duty places a real and unfair burden on these officers, the organizations they lead and their families,” they wrote.

The uncertainty about their futures is leading some officials to maintain two residences and be separated from their families, creating financial stress, the secretaries said. Meanwhile, military spouses are unable to look for work, and parents don’t know which schools to enroll their children in, they added.

Del Toro, Kendall and Wormuth also argued the holds will have a corrosive effect on the military in the future. They claim potential future generals and admirals are watching and might opt to leave the armed forces because they will feel their service at the highest ranks “is no longer valued by members of Congress or, by extension, the American public.”

“Any claim that holding up the promotions of top officers does not directly damage the military is wrong — plain and simple,” they wrote.

The secretaries argue that senators have many legislative and oversight tools to express their opposition to certain policies.

“But placing a blanket hold on all general and flag officer nominees, who as apolitical officials have traditionally been exempt from the hold process, is unfair to these military leaders and their families,” they wrote.

Tuberville's spokesman, Steven Stafford, wrote in an email to Spectrum News on Tuesday, "it’s not news that Joe Biden’s hand-picked civilian appointees are all parroting the party line."

The senator has previously insisted the blockade isn’t hurting the military.

On Saturday, Tuberville, a former college football coach, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: “I didn’t start this. The Biden Admin injected politics into the military and imposed an unlawful abortion policy on the American taxpayers. I am trying to get politics out of the military.”

Tuberville has argued the Pentagon’s policy violates the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funds from being used to pay for most abortions. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has determined the policy is legal.

The secretaries say the policy “is critical and necessary to meet our obligations to the force.”

Tuberville says he won’t end the hold until there is a vote on the Pentagon policy. Tuberville's office has noted the Senate can still confirm the nominees by holding votes on each one.

"[Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer could confirm all of the service chiefs in one day—but he refuses," Stafford wrote. "Instead he just took five weeks off. Clearly he is not worried about this affecting readiness."

Democrats say that process could tie up the Senate floor for months.

Note: This article was updated to include comments from Sen. Tommy Tuberville's spokesman.