Generals Wary of Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal; Navy to Let Women Serve on Subs

Two top Army and Air Force generals remain deeply concerned about the prospect of gays serving openly in the Armed Forces and the abandonment of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

With their public comments, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, his counterpart in the Air Force, may be giving political cover to balky lawmakers who oppose President Obama's call for repeal of the existing policy, which requires gays in the military to keep their sexual orientation private, The New York Times reported.

"I do have serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that's fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for eight-and-a-half years," Casey said before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. "We just don't know the impacts on readiness and military effectiveness."

Schwartz, in a separate appearance before the committee, said little research existed to show how the policy shift might affect deployed personnel, surveillance and support missions.

Both military men, however, pledged that they would fully carry out whatever decision Congress makes on the question of gay men and lesbians serving in the military. President Obama and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have called for doing away with "don't ask, don't tell" and permitting gays to serve openly. The policy was put in place in the early 1990s under former President Bill Clinton.

In a separate development at the Pentagon, the Defense Department notified Congress that the Navy had decided to lift its ban on women sailors serving aboard submarines, the Associated Press reported. Congress has 30 days to respond to the change. Young women graduating from the Naval Academy this year could be among the first to serve.