Openly Gay Service Members Would Not Undermine Military Readiness

This is a rather common sense statement for those already convinced that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and the continuous firing of very qualified gay and lesbian soldiers is very bad for U.S. national security.  But this statement takes on a whole new meaning when it comes from a four-star General who served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for four years.

Retired Gen. John M. Shalikashvili has an op-ed in the Washington Post today that makes the case that when you look at the evidence surrounding the issue of integrating openly gay and lesbian soldiers into the military, you find that there's not much reason to keep policies like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the books.  The handful of right-wing folks who argue that allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly would diminish morale is, as Shalikashvili puts it, a lot of bunk.

Here's the General's own words:

Tradition is a critical military value, and the armed forces have a long-standing tradition of banning gay men and lesbians. Equally important military traditions, however, are learning and adapting...

While the proper timing of repealing "don't ask, don't tell" remains uncertain, it is evident to me that a policy change is inevitable. More than three-quarters of the public favors the change. Polls show that even a majority of Republicans support allowing openly gay people to serve. Within the military, the climate has changed dramatically since 1993. Conversations I've held with service members make clear that, while the military remains a traditional culture, that tradition no longer requires banning open service by gays. There will undoubtedly be some teething pains, but I have no doubt our leadership can handle it.

I love this, for several reasons.  One, the General makes the case that the majority of people in this country support overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  But even better in my book is that Shalikashvili makes the case that when right-wing honchos get on their soapbox and say that gay and lesbian soldiers will hurt morale, they are actually undermining the strength and credibility of our military.  If our military is supposed to be the best and brightest, what's not to think that soldiers couldn't adapt to working alongside a gay or lesbian colleague?

The other piece of the General's op-ed is that he sheds light on something the Obama administration may not exactly want to hear.  And that's the fact that one, Obama has the power to issue an executive order to suspend "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and two, that in fact the ban on gay and lesbian soldiers has been lifted once before, during the First Gulf War.  Because during times of emergency, like when you're fighting a war (or in our present case, two wars), leaders have the flexibility to act on changes like this that are in the best interest of our national security.

Military readiness, as Shalikashvili puts it, won't be hurt by gay and lesbian service members.  On the contrary, our national security policies are only strengthened by allowing ALL qualified soldiers to serve, whoever they may be.