'Don't ask, don't tell' back in spotlight

Feb 3, 2010, 10:26 GMT

Washington - The 17-year-old US policy that bans gays from openly serving in the military was back in the national debate on Tuesday as the Pentagon announced it would support repeal of the controversial law.

The 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the military was the outcome of a contentious debate about whether homosexuals can serve as long as they hide their sexual orientation.

It arose in 1993 as a compromise between then-president Bill Clinton, who wanted an existing ban entirely lifted, and Congress and many of the military top brass who worried that open homosexuality could harm discipline and order in the ranks.

Since it was first formulated, 'don't ask, don't tell' has been a target for gay and lesbian rights groups who complain it is arbitrary, contradictory and discriminatory. Since then, more than 10,000 men and women have been expelled from the military over their sexual preferences.

Now the debate about the much maligned policy is about to heat up again.

President Barack Obama declared in his State of the Union address last week that it was time to 'finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.'

On Tuesday, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the top US military officer, Admiral Michael Mullen, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to announce they were examining ways to scrap 'dont ask, don't tell' and allow gays to serve.

'The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change but how we must prepare for it,' Gates told the lawmakers.

Obama wants Congress to wipe 'don't ask, don't tell' off the books, reigniting the national debate on gays in the military. Several senators on Tuesday criticized Obama's plans.

'Has this policy been ideal? No, it has not. But it has been effective,' said Senator John McCain, the ranking Republican on the committee. 'It has helped to balance a potentially disruptive tension between the desires of a minority and the broader interests of our all-volunteer force.'

McCain said open homosexuality could harm unit cohesion in a living and working environment in quarters with little privacy. The highest-ranking Republican and Democrat on the House committee also oppose repealing the policy.

'The law finds that the essence of military capability is good order and unit cohesion, and that any practice which puts those goals at unacceptable risk can be restricted,' he said.

Gates and Mullen emphasized that changing the policy will be a slow process and that all potential problems will be addressed by a study group being assembled, including housing issues, gay marriage and financial benefits for domestic partners. The study group is to report its findings in a year.

'A guiding principle of our efforts will be to minimize disruption and polarization within the ranks, with special attention paid to those serving on the front lines,' Gates said.

Meanwhile, Gates said the Pentagon already has the authority to revise procedures under 'don't ask, don't tell' to curtail the number of investigations the sexuality if individual service members.