Sen. Levin's Statement at DADT Hearing

[Still a Democrat]

...

If we repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” as I believe we should, the legislation stipulates that repeal will not take effect unless and until there is a certification by the President, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs that they have adopted the necessary implementation steps to assure that we maintain our standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting and retention.

....

That is to say, predictions of negative effects are higher among troops in warfighting units, but the actual experience of troops in combat units who have fought alongside gays is that their units were largely unaffected, according to the Working Group.



This evidence is confirmed by the experience of some of our closest allies who have made this change. In the militaries of Great Britain and Canada, there was even greater concern about this shift before it was made than exists today in our military. But the Working Group reports that their transition was smoother than expected, and that there is no evidence that a change in policy has diminished combat effectiveness for these allies, who have fought side-by-side with us over the last decade.



The Working Group has laid out a careful, deliberate plan to implement repeal while mitigating any risks. While that plan focuses on the importance of leadership, education and training, I agree with Admiral Mullen, who told us yesterday: “leadership matters most.”

http://www.hillsdale.net/newsnow/x1790519364/Opening-Statement-of-Sen-Carl-Levin-Senate-Armed-Services-Committee-Hearing-on-the-DOD-review-of-the-Don-t-Ask-Don-t-Tell-policy