The Senate has confirmed Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brown becomes the second African American, after General Colin Powell, to hold the role of the U.S. military’s top commander. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer used a procedural maneuver to force a vote on Brown’s nomination, circumventing a months-long blockade by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville on military confirmations and promotions. Schumer also advanced confirmation votes to fill vacancies atop the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. Tuberville has delayed the Senate votes, citing opposition to the Defense Department’s policy of covering the travel costs of employees forced to cross state lines to obtain an abortion.