[Vision2020] Top General Wants to Scrap "Don't Ask; Don't Tell"

[Ralph Nielsen]

RALPH
But if they accept gays in the military, they will also have to  
accept gay marriage. Married gays will have to have the same rights  
as married straights. And so will their spouses and children. This  
will lead to the complete moral disintegration of a Christian nation  
that has for its motto: In God We Trust.


nickgier at adelphia.net nickgier at adelphia.net
Tue Jan 2 14:50:28 PST 2007

January 2, 2007, New York Times
Op-Ed Contributor
Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military
By JOHN M. SHALIKASHVILI

Steilacoom, Wash.

TWO weeks ago, President Bush called for a long-term plan to increase  
the size of the armed forces. As our leaders consider various options  
for carrying out Mr. Bush’s vision, one issue likely to generate  
fierce debate is “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy that bars openly  
gay service members from the military. Indeed, leaders in the new  
Congress are planning to re-introduce a bill to repeal the policy  
next year.

As was the case in 1993 — the last time the American people  
thoroughly debated the question of whether openly gay men and  
lesbians should serve in the military — the issue will give rise to  
passionate feelings on both sides. The debate must be conducted with  
sensitivity, but it must also consider the evidence that has emerged  
over the last 14 years.

When I was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I supported the  
current policy because I believed that implementing a change in the  
rules at that time would have been too burdensome for our troops and  
commanders. I still believe that to have been true. The concern among  
many in the military was that given the longstanding view that  
homosexuality was incompatible with service, letting people who were  
openly gay serve would lower morale, harm recruitment and undermine  
unit cohesion.

In the early 1990s, large numbers of military personnel were opposed  
to letting openly gay men and lesbians serve. President Bill Clinton,  
who promised to lift the ban during his campaign, was overwhelmed by  
the strength of the opposition, which threatened to overturn any  
executive action he might take. The compromise that came to be known  
as “don’t ask, don’t tell” was thus a useful speed bump that allowed  
temperatures to cool for a period of time while the culture continued  
to evolve.

The question before us now is whether enough time has gone by to give  
this policy serious reconsideration. Much evidence suggests that it has.

Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and marines,  
including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an openly gay  
senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of a nuclear  
submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how much the  
military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by  
their peers.

This perception is supported by a new Zogby poll of more than 500  
service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, three quarters  
of whom said they were comfortable interacting with gay people. And  
24 foreign nations, including Israel, Britain and other allies in the  
fight against terrorism, let gays serve openly, with none reporting  
morale or recruitment problems.

I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the  
United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the  
armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments  
in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American  
who is willing and able to do the job.

But if America is ready for a military policy of nondiscrimination  
based on sexual orientation, the timing of the change should be  
carefully considered. As the 110th Congress opens for business, some  
of its most urgent priorities, like developing a more effective  
strategy in Iraq, share widespread support that spans political  
affiliations. Addressing such issues could help heal the divisions  
that cleave our country. Fighting early in this Congress to lift the  
ban on openly gay service members is not likely to add to that  
healing, and it risks alienating people whose support is needed to  
get this country on the right track.

By taking a measured, prudent approach to change, political and  
military leaders can focus on solving the nation’s most pressing  
problems while remaining genuinely open to the eventual and  
inevitable lifting of the ban. When that day comes, gay men and  
lesbians will no longer have to conceal who they are, and the  
military will no longer need to sacrifice those whose service it  
cannot afford to lose.

John M. Shalikashvili, a retired army general, was chairman of the  
Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997.