Pentagon to study ending ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
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The Pentagon will take a year to study how to revise its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuality, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday morning.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Service Committee in Washington, Gates said he will also seek a way to spare gay service members from being dismissed while the policy is being re-evaluated.
Gates noted that how gays are viewed “may have changed significantly both in society generally and in the military.”
“To insure the department is prepared,” he continued. “I have appointed a high-level working group within the department to immediately begin a review of the issues.”
Gates said the group’s “mandate is to thoroughly, objectively, and methodically” examine all aspects of this question.”
“A guiding principle of our efforts will be to minimize disruption and polarization,” he said.
Gates said a year was needed to thoroughly examine the issue.
Homosexuality is not allowed in the U.S military. Some within the military and Congress question what the impact would be on U.S. fighting forces and logistics if gays are allowed to serve openly.
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is based on a 1993 law, intended as a middle ground between the Clinton administration wanting to limit the ban on gays and a Congress concerned that the eliminating the ban would disrupt the military.
Last week in his State of the Union speech, President Obama pledged to turn back the law.
“I will work on Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” Obama said.
Gay rights activists have praised Obama, but Congress is unlikely to act on the request in this election year and when the military is already stretched thin in fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The study, to be headed by military and civilian officials, will examine how the ban could be lifted and what kind of timetable would be needed to make the change.
The Defense Department on Monday announced that more than 10,900 service members have been fired under the policy. In 2009, 428 were dismissed, compared to 619 in 2008.
--Michael Muskal
