Military tells Congress they're not ready to drop gay ban
Sat. May 1, 2010 12:00 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
Chicago, IL -
The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff say troops are just not ready to accept out-of-the-closet gays in their ranks.
Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen sent a letter to the House Armed Services Committee warning them not to move too quickly to drop the gay ban. The letter was obtained by the
Associated Press.
"Our military must be afforded the opportunity to inform us of their concerns, insights and suggestions if we are to carry out this change successfully," the letter said.
The letter went on to warn that if Congress dropped the ban before the military was ready, "it would send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, concerns and perspectives do not matter."
Some pundits see Mullen and Gates' letter as an attempt to protect some lawmakers from having to take a stand on DADT before the mid-term elections in November.
The military is currently conducting a study on the impact of lifting the ban. The study is supposed to be finished by December 1.
On Friday, the White House said that President Obama is "is committed to getting this done both soon and right."
Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen sent a letter to the House Armed Services Committee warning them not to move too quickly to drop the gay ban. The letter was obtained by the
Associated Press.
"Our military must be afforded the opportunity to inform us of their concerns, insights and suggestions if we are to carry out this change successfully," the letter said.
The letter went on to warn that if Congress dropped the ban before the military was ready, "it would send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, concerns and perspectives do not matter."
Some pundits see Mullen and Gates' letter as an attempt to protect some lawmakers from having to take a stand on DADT before the mid-term elections in November.
The military is currently conducting a study on the impact of lifting the ban. The study is supposed to be finished by December 1.
On Friday, the White House said that President Obama is "is committed to getting this done both soon and right."