Robert Gates

Pentagon study dismisses risk of openly gay troops

Submitted by ONE Community on November 30, 2010 - 1:50pm

(AP) – 12 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon study on gays in the military has determined that overturning the law known as "don't ask, don't tell" might cause some disruption at first but would not create any widespread or long-lasting problems.

The study was expected to provide some much-needed ammunition to congressional Democrats struggling to overturn the law. But despite supporters' hopes to force a vote during the lame-duck legislative session, it remains unclear whether the findings would be enough to sway skeptical Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen were expected to discuss the report later Tuesday, with the study's co-chairs, Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and Army Gen. Carter Ham.

The findings were confirmed by several people familiar with the study who spoke on condition of anonymity because the results hadn't been publicly released.

The study found that 70 percent of troops surveyed believed that repealing the law would have mixed, positive or no effect, while 30 percent predicted negative consequences. Opposition was strongest among combat troops, with at least 40 percent saying it was a bad idea. That number climbs to 46 percent among Marines.

The study also draws a strong correlation between troops who have worked with a gay service member and those who support repeal. According to the assessment, 92 percent of troops who have served with someone they believed to be gay thought that their unit's ability to work together was either very good, good, or neither good nor poor.

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Gays in the military

Submitted by ONE Community on November 15, 2010 - 6:21am

The Washington Post Sunday, November 14, 2010

THE LAST POSSIBLE rationale for maintaining the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy appears to have been pulverized.

The Post's Ed O'Keefe and Greg Jaffe report that 70 percent of respondents in a survey of more than 500,000 military personnel saw little risk in repealing the policy that prevents gay and lesbian service members from serving openly. A Pentagon task force studying repeal sent out the survey; its full report is expected by Dec. 1.

President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have called for the elimination of "don't ask, don't tell." They must review a proposed rollback plan to ensure that it does not hurt morale, recruitment or troop readiness. But they cannot unilaterally adopt a new policy unless Congress votes to eliminate the shortsighted and discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" law. Some on Capitol Hill, most notably Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and some military brass have resisted, citing concerns about possible disruptions that could be particularly acute because of the country's involvement in two wars. The Pentagon's findings should allay those fears.

If the report does not convince them, legal developments in the courts should. A California federal judge struck down "don't ask, don't tell" as unconstitutional and ordered an immediate, global freeze on enforcement of the policy. The decision has since been put on hold to allow an appeals court to weigh the matter, but the court's action - and the chaos it could cause - should spur lawmakers to act. In a recent interview with "Nightline," Mr. Gates rightly warned that "having this struck down by the courts is the worst outcome, because it gives us no flexibility."

 

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Gay rights group warns service members not to take 'don't ask, don't tell' survey

Submitted by ONE Community on July 8, 2010 - 9:37am
The Washington Post A gay rights group pushing for a repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy is warning gay and lesbian service members not to participate in a Defense Department survey distributed this week to active-duty and reserve troops. The Pentagon is studying the potential impact of repealing the gay ban and on Wednesday began e-mailing troops a link to a survey with more than 100 questions. The survey will be included in a final report due to President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen by Dec.
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News Analysis: DADT's State of Play

Submitted by ONE Community on May 4, 2010 - 3:48pm

Gay leaders may have sought a ''game change,'' but Friday's flurry of activity left the strategy and tactics of DADT repeal unclear.

On Friday afternoon, April 30, at a little past 4 p.m., the Associated Press's Anne Flaherty posted a brief story that the secretary of defense opposed legislative action on the ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy until after the Pentagon completed its review of how to implement repeal of the policy. Read more »

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Pelosi wants halt to discharge of gay and lesbian military members

Submitted by ONE Community on May 2, 2010 - 6:06pm
The Hill Blog By Michael O'Brien - 05/01/10 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged President Barack Obama late Friday to immediately halt discharges of gay and lesbian members of the military. Responding to reports that Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates had sent a key lawmaker a letter urging a slower implementation of the repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, Pelosi said dismissals must end. "We all look forward to the report on the review of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy by the Defense Department," Pelosi said Friday evening in a statement.
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Gates, Mullen Urge Delay on Repeal

Submitted by ONE Community on May 2, 2010 - 11:23am
Advocates for ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell hit back hard, saying Obama deals "devastating blow" BY PAUL SCHINDLER gaycitynews.com May 1, 2009 An April 30 letter to Congress from top Pentagon brass pushing to forestall a vote on ending the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy unleashed an unusual Friday evening flurry of press statements –– in some cases, several rounds of them –– among advocates, leaders on Capitol Hill, and even the White House. The letter, first reported by the Associated Press, was written by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and addressed to Missouri Democratic Congressman Ike Skelton, the House Armed Services Committee chair.
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Udall asks Pentagon brass for views on ‘Don’t Ask’

Submitted by ONE Community on October 28, 2009 - 2:33pm
WASHINGTON — Top Pentagon officials are being asked to make known their views on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” within 30 days, according to a U.S. Senator’s letter sent to the White House and obtained by the Blade. In the letter dated Oct. 15, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) asks Obama to request that Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen to “send their views within the next 30 days on when repeal should happen and their plans for effective implementation of the proposed non-discrimination policy.” “I know you are aware of the urgency,” Udall writes. “Not only has the injustice of DADT been going on for 16 years, but we also currently find ourselves in two major conflicts.
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