Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan attempts to block Chief of Naval Operations to get Pentagon to reopen key Alaskan Naval base

Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan attempted to block Admiral Daryl Caudle’s confirmation as Chief of Naval Operations to try to strong-arm the Pentagon to reopen the state’s Adak Naval Air Station, Just the News reported. Sullivan eventually caved, allowing Caudle to be confirmed on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved Caudle in a vote that should have secured an easy confirmation for him. The position was left vacant after President Donald Trump’s administration removed then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti from her post in February.

However, Sullivan held out on the final confirmation, stating that he would do so until the Pentagon agreed to reopen the strategic Naval base located on the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. The base has been closed since 1997, but Sullivan is sounding the alarm that it’s a vital stronghold to protect Alaska from China and Russia.

This is not the first time Sullivan has used such tactics in an attempt to convince the Pentagon to go his way. In 2020, Sullivan blocked Pentagon nominees during then-President Joe Biden’s administration, including Gen. C.Q. Brown’s promotion to Air Force chief of staff.

Sullivan’s Warning

The Alaskan senator’s urgings about the importance of reopening the Naval base hold more weight, considering Russian war planes have been performing exercises just off the coast of Alaska in recent weeks. While speaking on Fox News’ Faulkner Focus on Thursday, Sullivan shared how Russian aircraft have recently been spotted near American airspace.

“The Russians have been very aggressive. You know, Billy Mitchell, the father of the US Air Force, called Alaska the most strategic place in the world,” Sullivan continued.

“Well, our adversaries know that, which is why they’re testing us up there. And we’ve even had joint Russian naval task forces in our waters and joint Russian strategic bomber task forces in our airspace,” Sullivan went on. The lawmaker later explained that Trump is pouring money into military infrastructure in Alaska, including a possible American version of a Golden Dome anti-missile system to protect against attacks from Russia and China.

“We have the technology. We have the ability with a great military, and now with presidential leadership. That’s why Russia and China are so scared of this, and I think when they speak out against it, it shows that we’re on target,” Sullivan said.

Change of Heart

After initially holding out, Sullivan later changed his mind after speaking with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday. “Sen. Sullivan had a very constructive conversation with the secretary of Defense, with whom he has a strong relationship,” said his spokesperson, Amanda Coyne, in a statement.

“After the conversation, Sen. Sullivan lifted his hold on Adm. Caudle,” Coyne added. While Sullivan didn’t receive any formal concessions, the White House said in a statement that Trump has “repeatedly stressed the importance of the Senate quickly confirming all of his nominees,” suggesting the president was fuming and his intolerance for the gesture swayed Sullivan’s acquiescence.

Still, it doesn’t seem Sullivan will abandon his advocacy for the military base any time soon, even if Trump wasn’t happy with his tactics. According to the Washington Examiner, the lawmaker was banging the drum about the Naval base as recently as May.

“This is part of a broader strategic repository that our military needs to really think hard about, and in the Indo-Pacific, to be honest, their strategic thinking has been lazy,” Sullivan said. The base at one time had as many as 90,000 troops in the Aleutian Islands during World War II and was instrumental in an offensive attack against Japanese-held Kiska and Attu islands in 1943.

Holding up the appointment of personnel is not the best tactic for getting things done, and Sullivan was correct in giving up. However, it’s clear that the current threats to the U.S. are best addressed from Alaska.