RENWL

As Delivered by Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. Tuesday, February 02, 2010

ADM. MULLEN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Sen. McCain. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss with you this very important matter.

The chiefs and I are in complete support of the approach that Secretary Gates has outlined. We believe that any implementation plan for a policy permitting gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces must be carefully derived, sufficiently through – sufficiently thorough, and thoughtfully executed.

Over these last few months, we have reviewed the fundamental premises behind don’t ask, don’t tell, as well as its application in practice over the last 16 years. We understand perfectly the president’s desire to see the law repealed, and we owe him our best military advice about the impact of such a repeal and the manner in which we would implement a change in policy.

The chiefs and I have not yet developed that advice, and would like to have the time to do so in the same thoughtful, deliberate fashion with which the president has made it clear he wants to proceed. The review – the review group Secretary Gates has ordered will no doubt give us that time and an even deeper level of understanding. We look forward to cooperating with and participating in this review to the maximum extent possible, and we applaud the selection of Mr. Johnson and Gen. Ham to lead it. Both are men of great integrity, great experience, and have our complete trust and confidence.

Mr. Chairman, speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, 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. For me personally, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals and ours as an institution. I also believe that the great young men and women of our military can and would accommodate such a change. I never underestimate their ability to adapt.

But I do not know this for a fact, nor do I know for a fact how we would best make such a major policy change in a time of two wars. That there will be some disruption in the force I cannot deny. That there will be legal, social, and perhaps even infrastructure changes to be made certainly seem plausible. We would all like to have a better handle on these types of concerns, and this is what our review will offer.

We would also do well to remember that this is not an issue for the military leadership to decide. The American people have spoken on this subject through you, their elected officials, and the result is the law and the policy that we currently have.

We will continue to obey that law, and we will obey whatever legislative and executive decisions come out of this debate. The American people may yet have a different view. You may have a different view. I think that’s important, and it’s important to have that discussion.

Frankly, there are those on both sides of this debate who speak as if there is no debate; as if there’s nothing to be learned or reflected upon. I hope we can be more thoughtful than that. I expect that we will be more thoughtful than that.

The chiefs and I also recognize the stress our troops and families are under, and I have said many times before, should the law change, we need to move forward in a manner that does not add to that stress. We’ve got two wars going on, a new strategy in Afghanistan, and remaining security challenges in Iraq. We’re about to move forward under a new Quadrennial Defense Review. We still have budget concerns in a struggling economy. And we have a host of other significant security commitments around the globe. Our plate is very full. And while I believe this is an important issue, I also believe we need to be mindful as we move forward of other pressing needs in our military.

What our young men and women and their families want – what they deserve – is that we listen to them and act in their best interests. What the citizens we defend want to know – what they deserve to know – is that their uniformed leadership will act in a way that absolutely does not place in peril the readiness and effectiveness of their military.

I can tell you that I am 100 percent committed to that. Balance, Mr. Chairman – balance and thoughtfulness is what we need most right now. It’s what the president has promised us, and it’s what we ask of you in this body.

Thank you.

Full transcripts of the Joint Chief Of Staff meeting go this link: Testimony Regarding ‘Dont Ask, Dont Tell’ Policy