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Department of Defense Proposes DADT Repeal by Esther Zinn February 2, 2010 |
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photo by Photo Source: Till Krech\Wikimedia Commons
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Gay couple holding hands |
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On Tuesday, the nation’s top two Defense officials, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for an end to the 16 year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, marking a major step toward allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the United States military for the first time in its history. During Tuesday’s hearing, Gates and Mullen outlined the steps they intend to take toward altering the way “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” regulations are enforced.
Proposed changes would “protect some service members from investigations based on third-party allegations and set a new standard for what constitutes reliable sources and credible information that trigger a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ investigation,” the official statement read.
Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan called for the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” during Tuesday’s hearing.
"We should end this policy because ending it will contribute to our military's effectiveness," he wrote. "To take just one example: dozens of Arabic and Farsi linguists have been forced out of the military under “Don't Ask, Don't Tell" at a time when our need to understand those languages has never been greater. Thousands of troops — 13,500 by one estimate — have been forced to leave the military under the current policy. Certainly that number includes many who could help the military complete its difficult and dangerous missions."
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