Mar 20, 2009  |  By: Chris Johnson  | COMMENTS     

New statements from administration officials indicate that a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is moving at a slower pace than some would like.

Media reports earlier this year from the Boston Globe and the Associated Press stated that President Obama is consulting with defense advisers before initiating repeal of the law, which bans open gays from serving in the military.

But statements issued to the Blade this week from officials associated with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Department are raising questions about the level of consultation that has taken place.

Capt. John Kirby, spokesperson for Adm. Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Obama brought up repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” a couple weeks ago in a discussion with Mullen, but not many details were discussed.

“The chairman has had an informal conversation with the president about this, but there was not a lot of substance to it in terms of detail,” Kirby said. “He was not asked for his recommendation, nor was he tasked to go provide that.”

Kirby said no memoranda were circulating among the Joint Chiefs addressing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Defense Department spokesperson Cynthia Smith declined to comment on the extent to which DOD is considering repeal and would only discuss DOD’s commitment to the law.

“Our policy implements the law Congress passed after prolonged research and debate,” she said. “The department will continue to follow congressional mandate on homosexual conduct.”

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on the remarks.

Although the ban on openly gay people in the U.S. military is statutory and must be repealed through Congress or the courts, Obama made its repeal one of his campaign promises. Encouragement from the White House and alignment among defense officials is seen as important in getting the ball rolling for repeal.

But some experts on the military and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” say the remarks from administration officials are of minimal importance.

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said he didn’t think the statement from Kirby represented any lack of urgency from the Obama administration.

“The administration has many things that they’re engaged with DOD on,” Sarvis said. “It does not come as a surprise to me that the president and Adm. Mullen have not had a detailed discussion at this point about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”

Sarvis added that discussion on repealing the ban would begin with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, not with the Joint Chiefs.

Nathaniel Frank, who’s gay and a senior fellow at the Palm Center, a think-tank at the University of California in Santa Barbara, said the civilian population and not uniformed officials would instigate repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“Obviously if the Joint Chiefs express confidence in their troops’ ability to make this change, it will go more smoothly,” he said. “But in a democracy, civilians control the military, not the other way around. And the Pentagon has already made clear it will follow orders on this.”

Lawrence Korb, a research fellow at the Center for American Progress, said he thought Obama’s discussion with Mullen on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was noteworthy — even though it was brief — considering other defense issues facing the administration.

“I think that’s important,” Korb said. “You got two wars going on — that would not come up if [Obama] didn’t think it was important.”

Korb has been arguing in favor of lifting the ban since he testified during the 1993 congressional hearings on the issue.

Discussion of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is happening at a time of increased scrutiny on the issue. Last week, U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) released updated discharge figures for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” including 11 soldiers expelled by the Army in January for being gay.

In a March 12 statement, Moran said that the armed forces “continue to discharge vital service members” who are gay when operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have compromised the readiness level of the military.

The 11 discharged soldiers include a human intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor transport operator and a water treatment specialist.
Moran said he plans on releasing monthly reports on discharges as he receives the information.

Sarvis said SLDN has been reaching out to DOD, although the organization has had limited discussions with the department. He said SLDN has yet to hold meetings with Gates or other key officials who would be involved in planning the repeal.

“I think where we are, frankly, is there’s a process going on between the White House and the secretary’s ...