Gen. Shalikashvili opines on gays in the military
On January 2, the New York Times ran an op-ed piece by retired General Shalikashvili.
In his column, General Shalikashvili states that while he continues to support the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” status quo, he has come to believe that the time has come to allow gay Servicemembers to serve openly.
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.
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.
Now, while he has come around and expressed an opinion that DADT must go the way of the dodo, he’s mistaken on a couple of points:
But if America is ready for a military policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation, the timing of the change should be carefully considered. As the 110th Congress opens for business, some of its most urgent priorities, like developing a more effective strategy in Iraq, share widespread support that spans political affiliations. Addressing such issues could help heal the divisions that cleave our country. Fighting early in this Congress to lift the ban on openly gay service members is not likely to add to that healing, and it risks alienating people whose support is needed to get this country on the right track.
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.
While General Shalikashvili does have many many more years time in service than I do, and he did serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and did have a greater role in the shaping of military policy than I do, I must respectfully state that he is very mistaken. When Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948, which abolished segregation in the Armed Forces, he did so without imposing a delay period. There were cries of outrage when he did it, but things eventually settled down and people accepted it.
Truman faced the same issues in 1948 that Bush faces today: we had recently finished two wars and were occupying two different countries. Troops occupying Germany and Japan had to deal with those who refused to accept their countries’ defeats. People were crying for them to be brought home. We were stretched thin.
What Truman did not do, was focus on the bigger national issues surrounding the occupations and cost of rebuilding. He simply ordered the military to integrate and the military complied. If President Bush were to sign an Executive Order to repeal DADT, or to sign the Military Readiness Enhancement Act into law, there would be outrage and initial resistance and strife within the ranks; but as history has shown, things will settle down and people will accept the new status quo. As Gen. Shalikashvili notes in his op-ed, other countries which have lifted their bans have suffered no ill effects on morale and readiness. The same will be true of the United States Armed Forces.
We are a country which has been a beacon and protector of liberty for over 200 years — we should honor that tradition by repealing the blatantly discriminatory and unconstitutional law known as DADT. Not “eventually” or “inevitably,” but rather this year. Representative Meehan is planning to reintroduce the Military Readiness Enhancement Act early in the new session. Former Defense Secretary William Cohen has joined the call to repeal DADT. We are gaining momentum and support — and that includes support from Soldiers themselves.
However, Gen. Shalikashvili is correct when he says, “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.” It’s just the timing he has in mind of that day which needs revision: now is the time to press the issue — not sometime in the indefinite future.
