Posted by Dale Carpenter:
Former JCS Head Now Opposes DADT:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2006_12_31-2007_01_06.shtml#1167854506
In an important [1]op-ed in yesterday's New York Times, retired army
general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997,
John Shalikashvili, concludes that the anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell" policy is unnecessary and should be phased out. Shalikashvili's
stand is especially significant because he was among the most
influential opponents of President Clinton's plan to lift the ban on
gays in the military.
The basic reason Shalikashvili gives for his conversion is that the
experience of the last 14 years has shown that allowing gays to serve
openly would not undermine morale, harm recruitment, or hurt unit
cohesion -- long the main claims of those who have oppose allowing gay
Americans to serve. He cites as evidence for his new view: (1) the
experience of more than two dozen other countries (including the most
effective militaries, Britain and Israel) that allow gays to serve
openly, (2) recent polls showing that American military personnel
serving in Iraq overwhelming say they would have no problem serving
with gays, (3) the serious need of the armed forces for more
personnel, and (4) his own interviews with gay Americans who have
served honorably and bravely, often in combat, in Iraq.
Here's the key passage in the op-ed:
When I was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I supported the
current policy because I believed that implementing a change in the
rules at that time would have been too burdensome for our troops
and commanders. I still believe that to have been true. The concern
among many in the military was that given the longstanding view
that homosexuality was incompatible with service, letting people
who were openly gay serve would lower morale, harm recruitment and
undermine unit cohesion.
In the early 1990s, large numbers of military personnel were
opposed to letting openly gay men and lesbians serve. President
Bill Clinton, who promised to lift the ban during his campaign, was
overwhelmed by the strength of the opposition, which threatened to
overturn any executive action he might take. The compromise that
came to be known as �don�t ask, don�t tell� was thus a useful speed
bump that allowed temperatures to cool for a period of time while
the culture continued to evolve.
The question before us now is whether enough time has gone by to
give this policy serious reconsideration. Much evidence suggests
that it has.
Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and
marines, including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an
openly gay senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of
a nuclear submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how
much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be
accepted by their peers.
This perception is supported by a new Zogby poll of more than 500
service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, three quarters
of whom said they were comfortable interacting with gay people. And
24 foreign nations, including Israel, Britain and other allies in
the fight against terrorism, let gays serve openly, with none
reporting morale or recruitment problems.
I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the
United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of
the armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our
deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of
any American who is willing and able to do the job.
Shalikashvili wants to proceed slowly with the change, not take it up
as the first issue in the new Congress:
By taking a measured, prudent approach to change, political and
military leaders can focus on solving the nation�s most pressing
problems while remaining genuinely open to the eventual and
inevitable lifting of the ban. When that day comes, gay men and
lesbians will no longer have to conceal who they are, and the
military will no longer need to sacrifice those whose service it
cannot afford to lose.
While I think the change could have been made effectively in 1993 or
even before, and while DADT was in no sense a "compromise" that
allowed gays to serve without fear of discovery and reprisal, I agree
with Shalikashvili that the time has come for Congress to look
seriously at lifting the ban. Other former military leaders and
supporters of DADT have urged likewise. If Congress votes to lift the
ban, the burden would then be on our compassionate conservative
president to decide whether he will allow gay Americans to serve their
country with honesty and integrity or will continue to force them to
lie and hide in fear, wasting our money and their talent.
References
1.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/opinion/02shalikashvili.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
