Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey
Wants votes delayed until after review is complete Service chiefs: Wait on repeal of gay banBy Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 26, 2010 18:06:33 EDT
In a break with Defense Secretary Robert Gates over lifting the ban on allowing gays to serve openly in the military, the four-star service chiefs have told Congress that they oppose a compromise to vote now on a repeal provision that would not take effect until some time in the future.
Gates said the White House-supported compromise was not ideal, but was acceptable to him, according to his spokesman Geoff Morrell.
But in separate letters to Congress, the service chiefs said they don’t like this idea at all.
The letters come on the eve of historic votes on the House floor and in the Senate Armed Services Committee to reverse a 1993 law that bars openly gay people from serving in the military. While the outcome is unclear, supporters of repeal announced Wednesday that they had the 15 votes needed in the Senate Armed Services Committee to get a repeal amendment attached to the 2011 defense authorization bill.
One of service chiefs’ biggest concerns is what troops and their families might think about Congress voting to change the law before the Pentagon finishes an ongoing, comprehensive review of the potential effects of repeal, to include asking troops and their families what they think, according to the letters.
unhappycamper comment: It's the military, stupid. Who gives a fuck what they think?
Stop loss did not slow down while soldiers were being retained "For the good of the service".