The Senate confirmed Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh to be the service’s next chief of staff yesterday after Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) lifted his hold blocking the confirmation vote.
“After (Thursday), it’s clear Gen. Welsh shares my grave concerns over the situation at Lackland,” Cornyn said in a statement regarding a sexual assault scandal at Lackland AFB, Texas. “Gen. Welsh demonstrated a genuine resolve to improving Air Force-wide policies to prevent a recurrence of the grossly unacceptable conduct that took place at Lackland.”
Cornyn said he asked Welsh during a meeting yesterday to direct the Air Force to conduct a formal review of three things: current Air Force policy and training on sexual assault prevention; fraternization and inappropriate relationships, including social networking between warfighters; and the organizational structure of Basic Military Training (BMT) units at Lackland with focus on the ratio of officers to trainees.
Cornyn said he asked Welsh for regular updates on the progress of this review and any changes that are implemented as a result. Cornyn also said he asked Welsh for a commitment to improve the Air Force’s transparency and communications with Congress in conjunction with major budgeting and force structure decisions.
Cornyn placed his hold July 27, which delayed Welsh succeeding the retiring Gen. Norton Schwartz as the Air Force’s top uniformed officer. Any senator can place a hold on any nomination for any reason.
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved Welsh’s nomination late July 25, moving it to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. Also approved by the SASC July 25 for full votes were Marine Lt. Gen. John Kelly to be the next U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) chief and Army National Guard Lt. Gen. Frank Grass to be National Guard Bureau chief, who were later confirmed in the full Senate July 26 via unanimous consent. Cornyn’s hold prevented Welsh from being up for a vote with Kelly and Grass.