Pentagon Brass, Lawmakers Applaud End Of DADT

Lawmakers as well as the top military and Defense officials applauded the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Tuesday, describing the expiration of the controversial policy barring openly gay men and women from serving in the military as a deeply significant development.

“This is a historic day,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon. “Thanks to this change, I believe we’ve moved closer to achieving the goal at the foundation of the values that America’s all about.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, whose advocacy for the ending the policy was critical to the repeal, echoed the Secretary’s sentiments, describing ending the policy as “a matter of integrity.”

“It was fundamentally against everything we stand for as an institution to force people to lie about who they are just to wear a uniform,” Mullen said.

During a press conference at the Capitol, Sen. Joe Libeberman (I-Conn.), who penned the legislation to undo the initiative, cast the repeal as a broader civil rights victory.

“In our time, I think the frontline of the civil rights movement is to protect people from our country from discrimination based on sexual orientation,” Lieberman, appearing alongside  Republican Senator Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Democratic Senator Mark Udall (D-Colo), said.. “All the more so when it comes to the United States military, whose mission is to protect our security so that we can continue to enjoy the freedom and equal opportunity under law.”

The repeal has been a nearly year long, multi-stage process. After Congress voted to undo the ban in December of last year, the Pentagon performed a six month long study on the best way to repeal the policy. After the study was certified by the President, Defense Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, there was an additional 60 day waiting period.