USA: U.S. military leadership says a thorough review is necessary before any repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" can be implemented

Record ID: 277508

  • Title: USA: U.S. military leadership says a thorough review is necessary before any repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" can be implemented
  • Date: 4th February 2010
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 3, 2010) (REUTERS) GATES AND MULLEN AT WITNESS TABLE AT HEARING
  • Embargoed: 19th February 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5LTBV8SV9K5LO5CS1PA55B6XQ
  • Story Text: One day after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced support for U.S. President Barack Obama's push to repeal a law which prohibits gays from serving openly in the military, they returned to the Capitol to defuse opposition to a likely change in the policy.
    Mullen said that within the culture of the military, where landmark social change sometimes seeps uneasily through the ranks, the consequences of a change in policy cannot be forecast.
    "There's very little objective data on this. It is filled, as you know, with emotion, and strongly held opinions and beliefs, and that's the work we have to do over the course of this year, Mullen told members of the House Armed Services Committee.
    Gates said a thorough review would be conducted by the end of 2010 to assess the potential consequences of the policy change, and that review would be useful to smooth a transition.
    "The role of a leaders, it seems to me, is to set the goal, but if you want lasting and effective change, you had better bring the people who are going to be effected by it into the discussion, and get their views, and at a minimum it will help you mitigate whatever negative consequences there are. That's the purpose of this review. That's why we have to do it thoroughly, and that's the way you get change in large public institutions, where you have longterm professionals who care a very great deal about their culture and about what they do," Gates said.
    The "don't ask, don't tell" policy bans openly gay people from serving in the military, but also prohibits military officers from initiating inquiries on sexual orientation when soldiers are abiding by the rules.
    The policy went into effect in 1993 during the President Bill Clinton's administration.
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