The US Marine Corps has no confirmed leader for the first time in a century as General David Berger resigned as commander on Monday and a Republican senator is blocking approval of his successor.

Berger took over as the 38th commander in July 2019 and must leave the job after four years. General Eric Smith, assistant commander, has been nominated to be the next leader, but will serve in an acting capacity as he has not been confirmed by the Senate.

By law, Smith can be acting commander, but he can’t do anything that presupposes his confirmation. As a result, he cannot move into the commander’s main residence or office, or issue formal planning guidelines for commanders, which is traditional for a new leader. He has the authority to implement new policies regarding the force’s budget and personnel decisions, such as training.

Smith is the first of what may be many top-level military officers to be retained by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) for promotions. Tuberville has dropped all nominations for senior military positions because he disagrees with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s decision to have the Department of Defense pay for travel when a serviceman leaves his state to have an abortion or other receive reproductive care. Abortion is now illegal in Alabama.

At a ceremony at Washington’s Marine Barracks, just down the street from Capitol Hill, Austin and Berger called on the Senate to take action.

We need the senate to do their job so we can have a sitting commander appointed and confirmed. We must live in that house, Berger said, with a nod to the commander’s quarters at the edge of the parade ground.

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Austin and other Pentagon officials have urged the Senate to move forward, saying delays are already affecting more than 200 military officers and many key leaders.

You know, it’s been more than a century since the US Marine Corps operated without a Senate-confirmed commander, Austin said at the ceremony.

With Berger being demanded to resign this month, the Marine Corps becomes the first branch of the military without a confirmed leader due to Tuberville’s hold on nominations. The Army, Navy and Air Force are all expected to face delays later this year, as is the nomination of the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Army General Mark A. Milley, will resign at the end of September. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chief of the Air Force, has been nominated to replace Milley and will appear before the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Tuesday.

However, Tuberville’s hold also affects dozens of one-, two-, and three-star officers who have been assigned to new commands but are unable to continue. It also affects their families, who usually move to their new military communities during the summer so school-age children can settle in before the fall.

Smooth and timely transitions of confirmed leadership are central to the defense of the United States and to the full strength of the most powerful fighting force in history, Austin said. Stable and orderly leadership changes are also essential to preserving our unparalleled network of allies and partners. And they are crucial to our military preparedness.

Smith hit the thorny issue head-on at Monday’s ceremony, saying he wanted to get one thing out quickly.

If you say: what should I call you? ACMC. That’s my title, and one I’m proud of, Smith said, using the abbreviation for his role as assistant commander.

But he added quickly, to make sure there is no confusion about all orders, directives and directives that were in effect this morning will remain in effect unless I direct otherwise. Further guidance from the corps will follow.

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Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said Monday that as of Friday, 265 senior officer promotions have been blocked by Tuberville, and that number could rise to 650 by the end of the year if the issue is not resolved. She noted that in more than 100 cases, officers like Smith would be forced to do two jobs at once because no one can move up.

She said the Pentagon is asking officers to postpone scheduled retirements and stay on, while in other cases officers are filling senior positions for lower pay.

The last time the Corps was led by an acting commander was over 112 years ago. After Major General George Elliott reached the required retirement age in November 1910 and left the office of commander, Colonel William Biddle served as acting commander until he was promoted to major general and made commander in February 1911.

Berger, the outgoing commander, was born in Woodbine, Md. He graduated from Tulane University and was commissioned in 1981 to command and tour at every level in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During his tenure as commander, he led a wide-ranging campaign to improve the Marine Corps’ ability to fight amphibious warfare in the Pacific after years of fighting in the Middle East. The plan was hailed by many in the Pentagon and Congress as crucial to preparing the Marines for a possible conflict with China.

Acting Commander Smith, who was a career infantry officer, is a highly decorated Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq multiple times, including time in Fallujah and Ramadi during heavy fighting in 2004 and 2005 after the US-led invasion of Iraq.

He later became senior military advisor to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, and in 2019 took over as deputy commander for combat development.