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SLDN Statement on Hearing: Chiefs on Same Page, Conway Having It Both Ways

SLDN Statement on Hearing: Chiefs on Same Page, Conway Having It Both Ways

General James T. Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, and Secretary of the Navy Raymond E. Mabus, Jr., testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 on February 25, 2010. The "Don't Ask ,Don't Tell" law was a part of the discussion. A statement by Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, follows.

"General James T. Conway appears to want it both ways. On one hand he made clear again today that he is on board with the direction his commander in chief, Defense Secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs are moving toward ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' In fact we learned this week that all service chiefs are on board with the Pentagon review of how to implement open service.

"On the other hand, General Conway's personal opinion – he wants to keep DADT – is unambiguously in direct conflict with the views of his boss, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Michael Mullen, who said earlier this month, 'My personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.'

"General Conway was the only chief to say to Congress this week that the law is 'working.' It is not working. Having a law on the books that fires talented troops, at a time of two wars when all manpower is needed, is not effective and does not enhance the performance and readiness of the force. And nearly a quarter of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say they know who is gay and who is not. This means gay and straight troops are talking about it, and largely just don't care.

"We trust that with more time General Conway will become aligned with his Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defense and that he and all the chiefs and service secretaries will embrace open service by gay and lesbian service members the way they are now, although belatedly, embracing the opportunity for women to serve on submarines.

"Finally, in regards to the other hearing held on DADT in the House of Representatives this morning, we commend Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) who underscored the need for more details on the Pentagon's Working Group, including the goals, composition, and methodology the group will utilize."

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