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Former Reagan Assistant Secretary of Defense Testifies Before Congress—Calls for Repeal of “Don’t
WASHINGTON, DC – Lawrence J. Korb, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan, today urged Congress to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel from serving openly in the military. Korb urged Congress to “get rid of outmoded social restrictions,” such as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and in written testimony called the ban on openly gay service members, “counterproductive to military readiness.” His remarks came before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee. The hearing was held to discuss the issue of readiness decline among our nation’s ground forces.
“First, repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” Korb said. “The Army and Marine Corps cannot afford to place unnecessary obstacles in the way of qualified men and women who want to serve.” He went on to note that “over the past 10 years more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of this policy, including 800 with skills deemed ‘mission critical,’ such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very job functions for which the military has experienced personnel shortfalls.”
“Mr. Korb’s remarks are a reminder that many leaders within the defense community support repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). “As he rightly pointed out, there is growing concern among the national security establishment that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ forces our military to dismiss talented troops at a time when we are struggling to recruit and retain service members. Mr. Korb should be applauded for his willingness to advance the national conversation about this issue and for suggesting common sense ways Congress can act to address our readiness shortfalls.”
“I have always admired Dr. Korb and I am glad that he has added his voice to the chorus of experts, military officials, and fair-minded citizens interested in bringing necessary equality to the military by eliminating the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” said Rep. Ellen Tauscher, lead sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246), the bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.” “We also received testimony today that speaks to the damage this policy can do to an already wounded state of military readiness. Hopefully this testimony will prompt many more of my colleagues to sign on to my bill and we can begin to see a change in this policy.”
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Logistics (1981- 1985) Lawrence J. Korb currently serves as Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Defense Information. Prior to that, he was a Senior Fellow and Director of National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and, before that, Director of the Center for Public Policy Education and Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. For his service as Assistant Secretary Korb was awarded the Department of Defense’s medal for Distinguished Public Service. Mr. Korb is a member of the SLDN Military Advisory Council and also served four years as an active duty Naval Flight Officer, before retiring from the Naval Reserve having attained the rank of Captain.
“More and more leaders within the defense community are reevaluating the effectiveness of this law and concluding that it is counter-productive to America’s national security interests. I hope Congress listens to Mr. Korb and moves to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said Sarvis.
To read Lawrence Korb’s testimony in its entirety, visit www.americanprogress.org and for more information on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and Congressional legislation to repeal the law, visit www.sldn.org.
