Reagan's Asst. Secretary of Defense Says Let Gays Serve in the Armed Forces
Thursday 17th April 2008
The man who was Assistant Secretary of Defense under one of America’s most conservative Presidents believes it is time to allow gay men and women to serve openly in the military.
Support for gays in the military has been growing. This image shows Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) with retired flag officers announcing legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
Lawrence J. Korb served as Assistant SoD under Ronald Reagan in the 80s. Yesterday he urged Congress to repeal the outdated “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy on gay soldiers enacted during the Clinton administration.
During his testimony to the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, Korb said that the ban on gay servicemen and women was “counterproductive to military readiness.”
During the hearing on readiness decline in the country’s armed forces Korb recommended allowing gay men and women to serve. He said: “First, repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. The Army and Marine Corps cannot afford to place unnecessary obstacles in the way of qualified men and women who want to serve.”
He discussed the problem of discharging gay men and women from the armed forces, saying: “Over the past 10 years more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of this policy, including 800 with skills deemed ‘mission critical,’ such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very job functions for which the military has experienced personnel shortfalls.”
More and more military officials seem to be coming around to that way of thinking in the face of severe recruitment shortages as the war in Iraq rolls ever onward. Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network thinks Korb’s remarks are indicative of feelings in the military today.
Sarvis said: “As he rightly pointed out, there is growing concern among the national security establishment that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ forces our military to dismiss talented troops at a time when we are struggling to recruit and retain service members.”
She added: “More and more leaders within the defense community are reevaluating the effectiveness of this law and concluding that it is counter-productive to America’s national security interests. I hope Congress listens to Mr. Korb and moves to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’".
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Support for gays in the military has been growing. This image shows Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) with retired flag officers announcing legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
Lawrence J. Korb served as Assistant SoD under Ronald Reagan in the 80s. Yesterday he urged Congress to repeal the outdated “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy on gay soldiers enacted during the Clinton administration.
During his testimony to the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, Korb said that the ban on gay servicemen and women was “counterproductive to military readiness.”
During the hearing on readiness decline in the country’s armed forces Korb recommended allowing gay men and women to serve. He said: “First, repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. The Army and Marine Corps cannot afford to place unnecessary obstacles in the way of qualified men and women who want to serve.”
He discussed the problem of discharging gay men and women from the armed forces, saying: “Over the past 10 years more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of this policy, including 800 with skills deemed ‘mission critical,’ such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very job functions for which the military has experienced personnel shortfalls.”
More and more military officials seem to be coming around to that way of thinking in the face of severe recruitment shortages as the war in Iraq rolls ever onward. Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network thinks Korb’s remarks are indicative of feelings in the military today.
Sarvis said: “As he rightly pointed out, there is growing concern among the national security establishment that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ forces our military to dismiss talented troops at a time when we are struggling to recruit and retain service members.”
She added: “More and more leaders within the defense community are reevaluating the effectiveness of this law and concluding that it is counter-productive to America’s national security interests. I hope Congress listens to Mr. Korb and moves to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’".
If you liked this article, why not vote for it on Digg.
