GOP Want Assurance DADT Wont Hamper Combat Readiness

We shouldn't play political games with the lives of our soldiers. I have no qualms having gays in the military, but there needs to have a certain assurance that allowing gays in the military won't hamper the military combat readiness. Our military men and women need on another in the theater of battle. If one hesitates to shoot their rifle and panic, the whole unit become severely compromised. Democrats don't seem to care the implication of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Democrats want to suck up to the "DADT" lobbyist who are big contributors to their campaign.

(Worldnet Daily) Republican leaders in Congress are talking about new ways of putting the brakes on repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" after top military brass repeatedly told a House committee hearing they "don't know" how welcoming open homosexuality in the ranks will affect combat readiness.

Though Congress last year repealed the 1993 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military, open homosexuality in the ranks won't officially be permitted until after the president, secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that implementation of the change "is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting and retention of the armed forces."

At a full House Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this month, however, those "standards" came into question, as U.S. military leaders wilted under demands from congressional members to justify repeal of the policy.

According to a report from the Center for Military Readiness, Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-Calif., challenged the military leaders, "I want to know how repeal increases combat effectiveness."

"[It is] too soon for me to tell," answered Marine Commandant General and Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff James Amos. "Some of this will become evolutionary, revealed over time."

When questioned by Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., Gen. Amos reportedly replied, "Ma'am, I can't tell you at this point. … Will it improve recruiting, retention and combat effectiveness? I can't address that because I don't know."

Army Vice Chief General Peter W. Chiarelli similarly told Hunter, "We don't know yet how it's going to affect combat readiness. … But as we work this out over time, inclusive organizations are usually the best kinds of organizations."

Hunter eventually concluded in the meeting, "I think we heard [all of you] don't know whether repeal will increase combat effectiveness yet."

Prior to the committee hearing, Rep. Hunter had already proposed House Resolution 337, which would expand the certification requirement to repeal DADT to also include the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

Following the hearing, House Armed Services Committee Chair McKeon added his support to the additional requirements, telling C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program that he felt the Democrats pushed the DADT repeal through during the post-election "lame duck" session without giving Congress the opportunity to "ask proper questions."

"I think [Hunter's bill] makes [certification] a better process," McKeon said. "I think the way this process was rammed through, it was done politically."