OUR LATEST ISSUE
SITE SEARCH
Gay News: Despite the Pentagon's recommendation that gays can serve openly in the US military, some top officers still remain opposed.
By: Nigel Robinson
General James Amos
General James Amos
Top brass oppose repeal of "don't ask, do't tell"
3 December 2010
Uniformed officers are expected to testify today that lifting the ban on gays serving openly in the military would hurt some combat units’ ability to work effectively on the battlefield.
The Pentagon reported earlier this week that 70% of US troops have no problems with openly gay men and women serving in the military.
However, 60% of those questioned from the Marines and Army combat units thought that working alongside gay colleagues would have a detrimental effect on their ability as a fighting unit.
In comments prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee, General James Amos, the current Commandant of the Marine Corps, said:
“If the law is changed, successfully implementing repeal and assimilating openly homosexual Marines into the tightly woven fabric of our combat units has strong potential for disruption at the small unit level, as it will no doubt divert leadership away from an almost singular focus of preparing units for combat.”
He went on to say: “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.”
Army Chief of Staff General George Casey conceded that the repeal, if done properly, would have a minimal disruption on the army.
However, he added that repeal at this time, when the USA is at war, would “add another level of stress to any already stretched force”.
Admiral Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, warned that some highly trained combats sailors might refuse to enlist in protest at the repeal of the law, while Air Force Chief of Staff suggested deferring the repeal until 2012, citing as a reason the demands of the war in Afghanistan.
