08.01.07
Joint Chiefs nominee signals willingness to revisit “don’t ask, don’t tell”
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is reporting that Admiral Michael Mullen, President Bush’s nominee to succeed General Peter Pace as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was questioned about the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel during a Senate hearing Tuesday.
Mullen said that while he would continue to implement the policy and dismiss gay soldiers, he added, “I really think it is for the American people to come forward, really through this body, to both debate that policy and make changes, if that’s appropriate.” Mullen indicated that he would like Congress “to make its own decisions” with respect to considering a repeal of the ban. The current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Peter Pace, ignited controversy in March when he referred to gay sex as “immoral.”
Just prior to his nomination as Chairman, SLDN says Mullen told The Brookings Institution in Washington, “If it’s time to revisit that policy… the American people ought to raise that issue and we’ll have the debate. As a member of the Joint Chiefs and obviously the head of one of the services, I will contribute to that and give my best military advice.
“Admiral Mullen’s remarks are a welcome change of pace among military leadership, where there has long been an adversity to encouraging debate on opening the services to lesbian and gay patriots,” said Sharra E. Greer, director of law and policy for SLDN. “As Senator Collins rightly pointed out, there is growing concern among the national security establishment that the loss of talented gay troops is having a detrimental impact on our armed forces. Admiral Mullen should be applauded for his willingness to take part in a national conversation about that issue, and for his open-minded approach to working with Congress as they consider the future of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”