What is the Constitutional basis for Senate consent of military appointments?
I don’t rightly know.
Back in 1965, Congress declared me “an officer and a gentleman.”
They got it half right, but who am I to argue?
He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
-PJ
Every appointment and every promotion every officer in the military receives has to be approved by the Senate. Most appointment list and promotions are simply approved by the Senate. Occasionally, some jamoke, that Senator Levin, will block an appointment as he did a couple of weeks ago preventing the Vice Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency from being promoted to Vice Admiral and becoming the director of that Agency.
The Senate confirms all officer promotions. It is sort of pro forma up through O6 (captain / colonel), done en masse. From time to time, because of issues involving administrative retaliation against a single individual, or Congressional concerns about folks who should not be promoted (e.g. Tailhook) the promotion list gets hung up for a while. It becomes a serious issue for 2 stars and above. At 3 stars they look pretty hard at the individuals, and 4 stars is a negotiation with the administration just like any other political appointee.