U.S. military leaders on Friday voiced their disagreement on the issue of repealing a decade old ban on gays and lesbians to serve openly in uniform.
In testimony to the Congress, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff James Cartwright and Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said they supported repealing the Clinton era "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," while Army Chief of Staff George Casey, Marine Corps Commandant James Amos both voiced concern about repealing the law.
Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz, in his part, said allowing time to adequately prepare servicemembers prior to implementing a repeal is vital to continued mission effectiveness.
The generals faced the Senate Armed Services Committee Friday, and offered their judgment to the issue. Both Casey and Amos said repealing the law during war time is a distraction.
"My recommendation is that we should not implement repeal at this time," said Amos. Casey, while believing the law should be repealed himself, said "implementation of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell would be a major cultural and policy change in the middle of a war," noting the military is "already stretched by the cumulative effects of almost a decade of war."
Cartwright said while combat troops' anticipation of negative impacts on unit cohesion in the event of repeal is a concern, actual experience indicates such disruption would be minimal.
"If the law is repealed, implementation will require the deliberate and disciplined attention of leaders at all levels," Cartwright said. "It is my view implementation of a new department policy would involve manageable risk with regard to military effectiveness, even during the high tempo of wartime operations."
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday released the findings of a comprehensive study on military personnel's opinion on repealing the ban, noting that "strong majority" of the military do not object to gays and lesbians serving openly. Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee they recommend the repeal.
The "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, which was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, prohibits homosexuals to serve openly in the military. It has been a major contentious issue in U.S. politics. Critics including gay rights groups argue that the policy violates the rights of gay military members to free speech and open association.
The issue has come under increasing scrutiny as a lawsuit challenging the 17-year-old law worked its way through the federal courts this year, and is scheduled to be heard by a federal appeals court in the spring. Congress has before it a bill that would repeal the law, but it is unclear yet whether they will vote on it before the session ends and a new Congress takes over in January. President Barack Obama has said he supports congressional repeal of the law.
Source: Xinhuanet
