A group of bipartisan former Pentagon chiefs wrote a letter to the Senate on Thursday, requesting it ends a GOP senator's hold on military promotions and nominations.

Seven former secretaries of defense, who have served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, pressed the Senate to approve the promotions and nominations of 184 generals and flag officers, claiming the hold-up is “harming military readiness and risks damaging U.S. national security."

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“The current hold that has been in place now for several weeks is preventing key leaders from assuming important, senior command and staff positions around the world,” the letter said. “Some are unable to take important command positions, such as leading the 5th Fleet in Bahrain and the 7th Fleet in the Pacific, which are critical to checking Iranian and Chinese aggression. Leaving these and many other senior positions in doubt at a time of enormous geopolitical uncertainty sends the wrong message to our adversaries and could weaken our deterrence.”

The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and included the signatures of former President Donald Trump's Defense Secretaries Mark Esper, and James Mattis. Other signers included William Perry, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, and Chuck Hagel, who served in the Bush, Clinton, and Obama administrations.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) established the blanket hold on the confirmations last month as a protest against Pentagon policies related to abortion. One such policy pays for the travel costs and time off of service members receiving abortions. However, the former heads claimed that blockades should be for concerns about individual nominees only and not against broader policies.

“If this blanket hold is not lifted, nearly 80 three- and four-star commanders who are ending their terms in the coming months will not be able to be replaced,” they said. “Worse, this will impact certain members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the Chairman of the JCS."

The former leaders also commented on the real-world effects the uncertainty over nominations have on the families of the officers, claiming that it prevents the service members from moving to their next location, and prevents the spouses and children from enrolling in new schools or starting new jobs.

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"We can think of few things as irresponsible and uncaring as harming the families of those who serve our nation in uniform,” the former chiefs said.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has also pleaded for Tuberville to remove his hold but has not given any indication that he would reverse the abortion policy.