Grant Pentagon’s wish: act
Published 3:27 pm Wednesday, December 1, 2010
That gays will serve openly in the U.S. military is clear, and right. The key remaining questions are when the government finally will adopt such a sensible policy, and whether it will be under circumstances that allow for the smoothest implementation possible.
Senate Republicans are in control of those questions. United, they can block a vote on repealing the long-outdated policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which the House has already voted to banish into history. Or, if a handful of them do the right thing, they can give the Pentagon and its Republican chief, Robert Gates, what they’re asking for: control over how the repeal is put into practice.
A thorough Pentagon study released Tuesday found that a solid majority — 70 percent — of the more than 115,000 sailors, soldiers and Marines who responded believe allowing gays to serve openly would have a positive impact or no impact at all. Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen want the 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy scrapped.
Gates pushed sternly for that Tuesday, mindful that significant numbers of combat troops remain opposed to repeal. He wants more time to prepare them “for what could be a disruptive and disorienting change.” That, presumably, means more time for education, and for the inevitability of change to sink in.
The courts, Gates noted, appear more willing than ever to force that change if Congress doesn’t act. Repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” by judicial action could be too abrupt, Gates fears, and could lead to uncertain and potentially dangerous consequences at a time when combat units are fighting on multiple fronts.
Such fears may be excessive — according to the Pentagon study, 92 percent of respondents who said they had served with a colleague they believed to be gay said the experience was either good or indifferent. As in other parts of society, character matters more than innate traits in the military.
But it’s Gates’ responsibility to ensure a cohesive and effective military. In that light, his desire to phase in repeal is understandable — if the timetable is reasonably short.
Dedicated and brave Americans who are qualified to serve shouldn’t be turned away, or forced to live a lie. The need for the awkward compromise that is “don’t ask, don’t tell” has passed, and its days are numbered.
Senate Republicans should accept that reality, and grant the Pentagon the flexibility it says it needs to turn this page of history successfully.
