This article by Svetlana Shkolnikova originally appeared on Stripes.com. Stars and Stripes serves the U.S. military community by providing editorially independent news and information around the world.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted early Friday to confirm retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, elevating him to four-star general and the nation’s highest-ranking military position.

The vote was 60-25 and took place in the middle of the night to ensure Caine, a 34-year military veteran, could begin his role as the principal military adviser to President Donald Trump as the Senate departed for a two-week recess.

Democrats blocked an attempt to hold a quick vote on Caine’s nomination during the day on Thursday to protest Trump’s firing of the most recent chairman, Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown.

Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged the Senate to stay “as long as it takes” to confirm Caine, pointing to increasing threats from China’s military buildup and the banding together of multiple adversaries against the United States.