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JULIAN E. BARNES | julian.barnes@latimes.com
Michael Mullen tells the Senate Armed Services Committee that repealing 'don't ask, don't tell' is 'the right thing to do,' and announces a Pentagon review of the process.
The nation's top military officer said Tuesday that he supported allowing gays to openly serve -- adding a powerful voice to the deeply controversial issue as the Pentagon announced steps to prepare for possibly ending its 17-year-old policy on homosexuality.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the military would follow the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell." Nonetheless, he said, his personal views were firm.
"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," Mullen said.
His views are particularly important in the debate. It was one of his predecessors, Gen. Colin L. Powell, who played a major role in derailing then-President Clinton's bid to allow gays to serve openly in the military. In 1993, Powell called the policy a "healthy compromise." But in December 2008, he said the ban should be reviewed.
Mullen on Tuesday announced a yearlong Defense Department review that he said would examine the effects of repealing "don't ask, don't tell," as well as gauge changes that would have to be made in military benefits, rules and facilities.
More immediately, Pentagon officials said that within 45 days they would decide how to change the way the military enforced the law -- which prohibits gays from serving openly and can result in involuntary discharge. More than 14,000 service members have been booted out after being accused of being gay or having said that they were.
Lawmakers, meanwhile, said that they would consider temporarily suspending the requirement that the Pentagon enforce the law. But President Obama wants "don't ask, don't tell" rescinded this year. And although some in Congress favor an immediate repeal, others may want to wait for the results of the Pentagon review.
Advocates for gay service members said that they were disappointed with the Pentagon's timeline.
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