BANGKOK — As Chinese missile testing in the waters around Taiwan grew increasingly aggressive in 1996, the U.S. sailed two aircraft carrier groups to the island that Beijing claims as its own, and China was forced to back down.

It employed a similar response to Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel a month ago, dispatching two carrier groups^[1] to the eastern Mediterranean in a rapid and massive show of force meant to deter other countries or Iran-backed proxy groups such as Hezbollah from joining the fight.

WASHINGTON — Republican senators are holding a meeting Tuesday to confront Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville about his blockade of almost 400 military nominations, an effort to find a path forward as the senator has dug in on his protest of a Pentagon abortion policy.

The unusual meeting called by GOP senators to challenge one of their own comes after a handful of Senate Republicans held the floor for more than four hours last week in frustration, calling up 61 of the military nominations only for Tuberville to stand up and object every time. The Senate has traditionally approved large groups of military nominations by voice vote, but just one senator’s objection can upend that process.

A bipartisan group of senators representing states with significant military footprints is pressing the Pentagon for an update on junior enlisted barracks and how much money is actually needed for renovations and construction.

The six lawmakers from Georgia, Texas, Florida and North Carolina are pointing to media reports and a damning Government Accountability Office report from September that many troops are forced to live in poor and unsafe conditions. Issues include pest infestations, mold, sewage backups, unsecured doors, shoddy ventilation and, in some cases, cramming too many troops into living quarters.