Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) confronted Defense and military officials Thursday over the recently released Pentagon-commissioned study on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the controversial policy barring openly gay men and women from serving in the military.
McCain, one of the chief critics of the repeal, took Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen’s appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee as an opportunity to reiterate his concerns that the study was misguided since it only determined the effects of repealing the law.
“What I want to know … is not can our armed services implement a repeal of this law, but whether the law should be repealed,” McCain said. “Unfortunately that key issue was not the focus of this study.”
McCain also cited aspects of the study that outlined significant opposition to the policy’s repeal among certain segments of the military, noting that the study’s data reflects a scenario where 265 thousand soldiers could leave the service sooner than they anticipated in response.
Gates challenged McCain’s assertion, noting that other countries who’ve allowed gays to serve had similar results when they polled their soldiers but still retained their numbers.
Additionally, the Republican Senator voiced his displeasure over the decision not to ask soldiers their opinions on whether Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell should be discontinued.
“Every great leader I’ve ever known always consulted with his subordinates for their views,” McCain argued. “I’m almost incredulous to see that on an issue of this magnitude we wouldn’t at least solicit the views of the military.”
Admiral Mullen replied that asking soldiers for their views would have been unprecedented since it would be tantamount to allowing servicemembers to vote on military policy.
The Pentagon’s report determines that, if it is carried out responsibly, there is little to no risk in changing the policy. It also shows that 70 percent of soldiers surveyed believe that allowing gay men and women to serve will have either positive or no effects on military effectiveness.
Senate Democrats are eager to pass legislation that would help lift the ban in the closing days of the lame duck session. However, all 42 Republican Senators have pledged to block any legislative items beyond extending the Bush era tax cuts and funding the government, potentially stalling the legislation indefinitely.
On Friday, the heads of the individual services, who are reportedly critical of ending the policy, are scheduled to appear before the Committee as well.