On Feb. 2, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that he has served with homosexuals since 1968. “I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”

In the same hearing, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made clear that any change to the policy would not happen quickly.  A Pentagon review, which can take up to a year, has been ordered to study how allowing gays to serve openly will affect the cohesion and capabilities of the military. But during the review and Congressional debate, the military will discourage third parties from outing gay members.

At the time the law went into effect in 1993, President Clinton wanted to allow gays to openly serve in the military, but he was met with dissonance from Congress and the military.  As a compromise, he came up with DADT.  The “don’t tell” part prohibits anyone who demonstrates homosexual behavior from serving in the military. The “don’t ask” part precludes officers from investigating service members’ orientation as long as they are acting in accordance with military rules.

According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, 13,500 gays have been discharged from the military under DADT. It is estimated that another 60,000 homosexuals are still currently serving in the armed forces.

While the military is signaling the time may be right to repeal the long-standing policy, Republicans have vowed to fight against any change. And they certainly left no doubt about their position during the hearing. In particular, Sen. John McCain of Arizona said he was “deeply disappointed” by Gates’ “clearly biased” not-if-but-when comments. He added that while the policy isn’t perfect, the repeal would only increase the military’s stress while fighting two wars.

Interestingly, in 2006, McCain had noted his willingness to change the policy if Pentagon leaders called for the repeal.  McCain specifically mentioned that he would listen to Gen. Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Clinton, on the issue of whether to end DADT.

In response to the apparent reversal of his earlier position, a spokeswoman for McCain said the senator thought Mullen wasn’t speaking on behalf of the Joint Chiefs, and that he’ll listen to military leaders after the Pentagon review is finished.

The day following Gates’ and Mullen’s testimony, Powell, who opposed Clinton’s attempt to end the ban on gay soldiers by saying it would undermine discipline and order in the military but supported DADT, released the following statement: “In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed.” He added that he fully supported the approach by Gates and Mullen.

And Powell’s not alone. A June 2009 Gallup Poll showed that 78 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 are in favor of allowing openly gay soldiers to serve in the military. The same poll showed that 58 percent of Republicans favored repealing DADT.

In the end, the shift among military leaders and the public may encourage Republicans to reconsider their opposition.  What happens after the Pentagon review is completed and there is an official plan for acknowledging gays in the military? At that point, Republicans, along with Democrats, may vote to make Generation Y soldiers the first to serve side-by-side with their openly gay compatriots.

Related posts:

1. Sotomayor confirmed to Supreme Court