Top Marine opposes ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military

The commandant of the Marine Corps said Thursday that he opposed ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military, the most senior officer to break publicly from President Obama’s push to change the current law.

Gen. James T. Conway told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he did not think the law barring gays from serving openly should be changed.

“I think the current policy works,” Conway said. “My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, to the president would be to keep the law such as it is.”

The military service chiefs have been testifying before the House and Senate this week, and lawmakers have questioned them about the Obama administration’s proposal to allow gays to serve openly.

Earlier this month, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he supported changing the policy and said allowing gays to serve was a matter of “integrity.”

But in the testimony this week, none of the other chiefs embraced Mullen’s opinion. The other chiefs have supported Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ plan to study a change of the law.

But Conway went further, offering his own personal opinion that the current policy was working.

Conway said a policy change shouldn’t be judged by whether it was fair to homosexuals, but by whether altering the law would “enhance the war-fighting of the United States Marine Corps.”

The current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was enacted into law in 1993, after President Clinton unsuccessfully attempted to allow gays to serve openly. Clinton’s attempt to change the policy was scuttled in large part because of opposition from senior military leaders.

Today, far more military leaders support allowing gays to serve openly. But Conway’s testimony shows that other officers oppose the change and are willing to publicly state their opposition to Obama’s position.

Conway was challenged, gently, by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) Lieberman supports changing the law, and has said he plans to introduce legislation to allow gays to serve openly.

Lieberman told Conway he was correct to say that repealing the ban must pass the test of not adversely affecting the ability of the military to defend the nation. “I believe it will,” Lieberman said. “I hope we conclude that repealing ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ will enhance military readiness.”

julian.barnes@latimes.com