Top Military Officers Wary Of DADT Repeal

The heads of the Army and the Marine Corps warned the Senate Armed Services Committee Friday that repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would be an unwise move amid military involvement in Afghanistan.

“I would not recommend going forward [with the repeal] at this time given everything that the Army has on its plate,” Gen. George Casey, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, told the Committee.

Casey noted that although the pressures of implementing a “major cultural and policy change” would add unnecessary stress to U.S. forces, he was not opposed to lifting the ban eventually.

Marines Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos said his opposition to ending the policy was partially based on the the Pentagon’s recent report on the repeal, which signals that 56 percent of combat arms Marines fear that lifting the ban will have a negative impact on military efficiency.

“I cannot reconcile nor turn my back on the negative perceptions held by our marines who are most engaged in the hard work of day to day operations in Afghanistan,” Amos said.

Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz told the Committee that the U.S. should avoid fully ending the policy until at least 2012.

Although there were several appeals to maintain the law in the interim, the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all concurred that their services had the ability to implement a repeal if required.

The Service Chiefs’ appearance before the Committee came one day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen came to the Hill to endorse lifting the ban.

Senate Democrats are eager to pass legislation in the closing days of the lame duck session that would pave the way for ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. However, all 42 Republican Senators have pledged to block any legislative items beyond extending the Bush era tax cuts and funding the government.