GAO Report on Senate Holds on Flag, General Officers

On two occasions in 2020 and 2023, all nominations for general and flag officers (GFOs) were on a blanket hold from Senate confirmation. The 2023 hold lasted approximately 10 months, not two weeks. Senior leaders within DOD, including the Secretary of Defense at the time and a group of former Secretaries of Defense who served in bipartisan administrations, expressed concerns that the nomination hold in 2023 posed a risk to national security and the well-being of military families, among other things.You asked us to review issues surrounding past holds on GFO nominations. This report describes effects on military readiness, leadership...