Army Head Hesitant On Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Politico reports that in "testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, the Army’s top commander did not give the same enthusiastic endorsement to rescinding the Pentagon’s ban on gays in the military that was sounded by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier this month. Gates and Mullen both endorsed the repeal but ordered a year-long review of how to implement a change to the policy. In testimony today, Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said that until the review is completed he’s neutral on whether the ban should be repealed... After participating in the review, which is expected to take up to one year, Casey said, 'then I can provide my informed military judgment to the secretary and Congress.'"

“I do have serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that is fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for eight and a half years. We just don’t know the impacts on readiness and military effectiveness and that’s why I fully support what Secretary Gates has laid out,” Casey said. Tweet