Top Military Leader Joins Broad, Growing Support To
End Unjust, Harmful Policy
Washington, D.C. – Former
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John
Shalikashvili today joined U.S. Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand’s call for action to finally end “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” by issuing the following statement
urging top leadership at the Department of Defense
to move forward on repealing the policy:
STATEMENT FROM GEN. SHALIKASHVILI:
"Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts
about the Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the
Armed Forces. When I was Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, my support of the current policy
was based on my belief that implementing a change in
the rules would have been too burdensome for our
troops and commanders at the time.
“The concern among many at that time, was that
letting people who were openly gay serve would lower
morale, harm recruitment and undermine unit
cohesion. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was seen as a
useful measure that allowed time to pass while our
culture continued to evolve. The question before us
now is whether enough time has gone by to give this
policy serious reconsideration. I believe that it
has.
“Recently, Army Secretary John McHugh said that “The
Army has a big history of taking on similar issues
[with]…predictions of doom and gloom that did not
play out.” His conclusion echoes substantial
scholarly and official military research which finds
that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly
would not jeopardize readiness.
“Studies have shown that three-quarters of service
members say they are personally comfortable around
gays and lesbians. Two-thirds say they already know
or suspect gay people in their units. This raises
important questions about the assertion that openly
gay service would impair the military. In fact,
it shows that gays and lesbians in the military have
already been accepted by the average soldier.
“Additionally, at least twenty-five foreign
militaries now let gays serve openly, including our
closest ally, Britain. Although we lead rather than
follow these militaries, there is no evidence
suggesting that our troops cannot effectively carry
out the same policy change as those nations did.
“In 2008, a bi-partisan panel of retired General and
Flag officers carefully reviewed this matter for a
year and concluded that repeal would not pose a risk
to the military's high standards of morale,
discipline, cohesion, recruitment, or retention.
Interestingly, an increasing number of active-duty
officers who have reviewed “don’t ask, don’t tell”
indicate that the policy, not the presence of gays,
is detrimental to the armed forces’ need for skilled
personnel who are able to serve without compromising
their integrity and, by extension, that of the armed
forces as a whole.
“As a nation built on the principal of equality, we
should recognize and welcome change that will build
a stronger more cohesive military. It is time to
repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and allow our
military leaders to create policy that holds our
service members to a single standard of conduct and
discipline."
Senator Gillibrand said, “The military’s ‘Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell’ policy is an unjust, outdated and
harmful rule that violates the civil rights of some
of our bravest, most heroic men and women. I’ve been
working with my colleagues in Congress and other
leaders to overturn this wasteful and destructive
policy. I am hopeful that President Obama will make
this a top priority.”
Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center said,
“General Shalikashvili has answered the lingering
question of when to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The General says now. As one of only 17 people to
hold the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
his statement is saying that not only is now the
time to repeal this law, but that it will make our
military stronger. This is an endorsement of the
President’s goals and a signal to the Pentagon – it
is time for repeal.”
© 2010
Gay Military Signal