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Admiral Mullen: U.S. Troops in Afghanistan to Increase by 20,000 in ‘09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2009
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Admiral Mullen: U.S. Troops in Afghanistan to Increase by 20,000 in '09
Lifting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Ban Would Provide Thousands of New Service Members
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In his appearance this Sunday on CBS' 60 Minutes, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the President-elect, indicated the U.S. would be doubling the number of troops in Afghanistan during the first 12 to 18 months of the Obama Administration.
"We're going to add forces to Afghanistan... The exact number isn't known. I [have] talked [before] about a range between 20,000 and 30,000," Admiral Mullen told CBS News correspondent David Martin.
"Repealing ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)' would open up a huge reservoir of Americans to help meet this need laid out by Admiral Mullen," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). "We have a pool of qualified and dedicated men and women in waiting who are willing and ready to fight terrorism in Afghanistan."
DADT prohibits gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the military. Since the law was instituted in 1993, over 12,500 men and women have been discharged on the basis of sexual orientation. Many more thousands of individuals want to enlist but don't do so because of the law. According to a 2007 report by the Williams Institute, DADT has discouraged nearly 45,000 Americans from joining and remaining in the armed forces.
"Repeal of the law would melt the Pentagon's current hiring freeze imposed on openly gay people and encourage gay and lesbian service members to stay in the ranks," Sarvis said. "We're working with the Pentagon, Congress, and incoming White House to repeal the DADT law this year, so we can, sooner rather than later, help the U.S. meet the urgent need for manpower in Afghanistan and around the world."
During the 60 Minutes interview, Mullen reiterated his belief that the U.S. is not winning the war against the Taliban.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and related forms of intolerance.
