Posted on 05/31/2010 2:42:26 AM PDT by Cindy
NOTE The following text is a quote:
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Review Process Vital, Mullen Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 30, 2010 – It’s of vital importance that the Pentagon gain input from servicemembers and military families on their views about the repeal of the so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, the top U.S. military officer said today.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed the proposed repeal of the law, upcoming operations in Afghanistan and the military's support role in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico during CNN’s “State of the Union” news program.
The House of Representatives passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill May 27 that would allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a similar amendment that same night.
Mullen noted that he has said he thinks the law and the policy should change. He also said that both he and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates believe it is "critical to understand the points of view of those it will affect the most as we look at the implementation challenges should the law change.”
The current “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, enacted in 1993, provides only partial protection for gay and lesbian servicemembers, in that commanders may not question military members about their sexual orientation. Under current law, servicemembers may be discharged from the service, if by their actions they’re determined to be gay or lesbian. Gates has directed a military-wide review of the impact of the repeal, including town hall meetings with servicemembers and their families. The review is to be completed by the end of December.
Recent congressional activity to change the law, if completed, would be “legislation involved in a deferred repeal,” Gates said in a May 28 message to military members.
“In other words,” Gates continued, “it would repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ but only after - I repeat after - the ongoing Department of Defense high-level review is completed, and only after the president, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and I all can certify that we are ready to make this change without hurting unit cohesion, military readiness, military effectiveness and recruiting and retention.”
Mullen said today on “State of the Union” that he would have "preferred that legislation not be brought forward in terms of the change until we are completed with that review.” Meanwhile, he said, the review is progressing.
“So we will complete that review and certainly incorporate what we learned from that into implementation when that time comes,” Mullen said.
The admiral also addressed Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on the CNN news program.
Iraq trends “are moving in the right direction,” Mullen said. The U.S. military in Iraq is on track to drawdown to 50,000 troops by the end of August. The Iraqi election recount has “come out very well,” he added, while a recent spate of insurgent-inspired violence hasn’t produced sectarian bloodshed.
Meanwhile, it’s expected that 100,000 U.S. troops will be deployed in Afghanistan by the fall, Mullen said. Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban, will be a focus of the coming campaign.
“So, what we’re doing in Kandahar, what we will do with our Afghan partners and in many cases with them in the lead and our coalition partners over the next several months will really be critical,” Mullen said. “And I think by the end of the year, we’ll certainly from a trend standpoint know whether this thing is headed in the right direction, or not.”
Meanwhile, Mullen said, the U.S. military continues in a support role as part of the response to the ruptured BP oil well deep in the Gulf of Mexico. About 1,400 National Guard members have been deployed to the Gulf to assist in the effort, he noted.
Also, “we have brought thousands of feet of booms in terms of being able to try to contain this,” Mullen said. The U.S. military, however, isn’t the proper organization to take charge of the oil spill response “because of the technical challenges, quite frankly,” the admiral said.
“And, as best as I’ve been able to understand, the technical lead for this in our country really is the industry,” Mullen said. “You can see, obviously, the challenges that they are going through to try to figure out how to stop this.”
Biographies: Robert M. Gates Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
Related Sites: Statement on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Legislation Common Access Card Enabled On-Line Inbox
Related Articles: Gates Addresses Troops on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal Mullen: Proposed Legislation Retains Prerogative
Previously...
http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=59393
Gates Addresses Troops on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 28, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told troops worldwide today that any repeal of the so-called “don’t ask don’t tell” law will be delayed until the ongoing Defense Department high-level review is completed, and only after he, the president and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all can certify that the department is ready to make the change without hurting unit cohesion, military readiness, military effectiveness, and recruiting and retention.Video
Gates recorded a special message that will be broadcast on the American Forces Radio and Television Service and the Pentagon Channel to speak directly to servicemembers and their families about the moves toward repeal of the law that bars gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
“There’s been a lot of political posturing and maneuvering on this issue this week, and the secretary wanted to communicate directly to the troops about what this all means to them,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. “He wanted to make it clear that the department’s review of how to smartly implement a change in the law is more important than ever, and their participation in it is absolutely critical to its success.”
The House of Representatives passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill yesterday that would allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a similar amendment last night.
President Barack Obama said he is pleased with the congressional actions. He has long favored repealing the law, in which has been in effect since 1994.
“Key to successful repeal will be the ongoing Defense Department review, and as such, I am grateful that the amendments … will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process,” he said in a written statement released by the White House last night.
Obama said being the commander in chief is his greatest honor. “This legislation will help make our armed forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity,” he said.
Any change in the law will take time, Gates said in his recorded message. “The legislative process is long and complex,” he said. “While it appears likely that Congress will eventually change the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ law, we do not expect the legislation that would do this to be presented to the president for months – perhaps not until the end of the year.”
The amendment is the result of a compromise worked out between the administration and Congress. It allows the military to revoke the “don’t ask, don’t tell” provisions 60 days after a military study group chaired by Jeh C. Johnson, the Defense Department’s general counsel, and Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, presents its report in December.
The legislation is a deferred repeal, Gates stressed. “It would repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ but only after — I repeat, after — the ongoing Department of Defense high-level review is completed, and only after the president, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I all can certify that we are ready to make this change without hurting unit cohesion, military readiness, military effectiveness, and recruiting and retention,” Gates said.
As the legislative process continues, nothing will change in current policies and practices, the secretary said. “Current law, policies and regulations remain in place, and we are obligated to abide by them as before,” he said.
The vote in the House and at the Senate committee makes the results of the Defense Department study even more important, Gates said. The panel will conduct a thorough and fact-based assessment of the impact of the potential law change and will develop “an implementation plan that minimizes any possible disruption to the department’s mission and on-going operations,” he added.
Gates urged servicemembers to participate in the review. “We need to hear from you, and your families, so that we can make these judgments in the most informed and effective manner,” the secretary said. “So please let us know how to do this right.”
He asked all servicemembers to stay informed on this issue, but to not let it distract them from the “critical mission to defend our country and our duty to uphold the values represented by the uniform you wear,” he said.
The message will play on AFRTS broadcast outlets overseas and on the Pentagon Channel in the United States.
Biographies:
Robert M. Gates
Related Sites:
Text of Message
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Online Inbox (Common Access Card Required)
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The queer lobby in the US is to the leftist/socialist/Marxist as the SAS was to the Nazi Party in Germany.
To begin with, I hardly think Mullen is a French name, (as am I) yet he has an annoying--and distracting--habit (almost as bad as Botox San Fran Nan) of talking with his hands
And secondly WTF is up with his admitting that the DADT policy MUST be changed and it appears he is willing to go along with this disastrous far left/gay agenda.
As a Nam Vet, I hate to disparage someone of that rank who obviously has served honorably for so many years, but I get the impression he is but another Dear Leader butt boy and probably one of the clueless moonbats who supports the dangerous Rules of Engagement being imposed on our Military as well as the stonewalling in releasing the Ft Hood Report.
Plus who expects the PC military brass to help officers and NCO’s to control the harrassing flaming horndogs that will emerge to gloat about their new status? Given PC that allowed “Major Hasan” to indulge in his murderous fantasies at Ft Hood, who trusts the brass to protect the troops from mere gay predators..
The blue lipped commie son of a whore muzzie bastard has gone too far this time.
There will be consequences, and this will not stand.
Just as the US Armed Forces became a baited field for murdering Jihadists thanks to PC.The service will also become the happy hunting grounds for homosexual predators too.
The military is by necessity a physically intimate organization and cannot function well with male/female cohabitation—and this includes the effectively female homosexual man and effectively male homosexual woman.
Sans both hetero and homo sexual segregation in all non-medical situations that result in nudity—our enemies will not have anyone to fight as the whole institution will have collapsed.
Yeah, but guess what? Admiral Mullen is going to cram open gay policy down our throats whether we like it or not.
Because Mullen and the democrats don’t seem to mind if the homosexuals destroy the military.
They are all responsible for the systematic destruction of this Nation once they have torn our own military apart.
Dangerous @ssholes, all.
Opportunist @ssholes like Mullen, Gates and Casey do not give a rat’s ass about anyone but themselves.
They would foist open homosexuals into the ranks just as quickly as they have foisted islamic terrorists into the ranks.
They are more dangerous to America than our enemies, and they are responsible for the subsequent destruction of this magnificent Nation simply because they have no damn understanding of what is best for the personnel they are supposed to be serving.
Is Mullen going to shower and sleep in the same room with open homosexuals? How about Gates or Casey?
I really don’t know what’s more infuriating—the fact they plan to eliminate DADT no matter what ANYONE thinks, or the fact that they have the gall to ask for the active duty’s opinion knowing that they will eliminate DADT regardless.
When the psychiatrists arbitrarily removed homosexuals from the mentally ill list they not only did them no favors they allowed effective therapies to become politically correct and thus banned by the medical community.
But thanks to the dumping of DADT,homosexual predators will have PC regulations to protect them as they try to ruin normal lives in their pursuit of an impossible normalcy.
And their victims will be those responsible for defending America's freedom.
Secretary Gates and especially Admiral Mullin are to blame for Congress acting as they did. It was their public support of repealing DADT that embodened congress to act foolishly for purely political purposes.
Now the admiral protests...well it is too late for that. You CANNOT placate the radical left and other homophiles by trying accomodate or compromise with them in any way. You just cause them to demand more.
Sadly, in a metaphorical sense, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullin have become catamites to a penderistic congress on this issue.
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=59448
Troops’ Opinions Matter in ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Review
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
FORT BRAGG, N.C., June 3, 2010 – Servicemembers’ opinions are “absolutely critical” in implementing policy for a repeal of the law that bans gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military, the nation’s top military officer said here yesterday.
“Your view and opinion of [gays and lesbians serving openly] is absolutely critical to address those issues,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told 18th Airborne Corps soldiers during a town hall meeting.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed a military-wide review of the impact of the repeal, including town hall meetings with servicemembers and their families. The review is to be completed by the end of December.
Gates and Mullen want to ensure troops are ready to make the change and can do so without hurting unit cohesion, military readiness, military effectiveness, and recruiting and retention.
“One of the reasons the study and review is so important is because there isn’t any subjective data out there, particularly from you and those who will be most effected,” the admiral told the soldiers.
“Part of my testimony said how important the review Secretary Gates put in place is,” he added, speaking to remarks he made before Congress last week. “That review continues to be critical; it continues to be one we will work our way through over the next many months.”
Allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly, Mullen said, is a direction the military needs to move forward on.
“The law needs to change,” he said. “Fundamentally, it’s an issue of our values. It’s very critical for us as an institution, and I’m hard-pressed not to support policy and a law that forces individuals to come in and lie everyday.”
Mullen’s remarks on the topic were sparked by a senior non-commissioned officer’s question. The soldier expressed his concern for the possibility of hate crimes and increased cases of sexual harassment if the law changes.
Mullen told the soldier that disciplinary issues regarding sexual harassment have nothing to do with the change in the law and should not be tolerated, period.
“Certainly any change in the laws is not an excuse for anything like that to ever happen,” the admiral said. “We are a disciplined force. We have standards. Maintaining those standards, sustaining that discipline is our job, no matter what happens.
“I have every expectation that not only we will do this, but we will lead in a way [so] it gets done,” Mullen continued. “[But] that doesn’t mean we won’t have challenges.”
Ultimately, he said, troops and leaders need to have a greater understanding of the impact openly gay and lesbian servicemembers will have on the military.
“I want to understand what the possibilities are … what it’s going take to implement this and, in that regard, address the leadership challenges and implementation with expectations that at the small-unit level, not exclusively, it will be led and led well,” Mullen said. “I have a lot of faith in you that that’s doable.”
Biographies:
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
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This is the main reason closet homo Mullen was brought in to “replace” Peter Pace.
He’s lying through his teeth. All this crap about a “high-level review” is merely to give him and his fellow political hacks some cover. Those rat bastards already know what they’re going to do.
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