Join Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike
Mullen, the nation's highest ranking military officer, said Sunday he
has advised President Obama on repeal of the military's ban on open
gay service.
“I've had conservations with him
about that,” Mullen said on CNN's State of the Union. “What
I've discussed in terms of the future is I think we need to move in a
measured way.”
The Obama administration is facing
increasingly louder demands from gay groups to end the law that
candidate Obama promised to repeal. According to the Servicemembers
Legal Defense Network, a group that lobbies for repeal of the law,
282 service members have been discharged under Obama's watch.
Mullen also said he has discussed
repeal of the ban that dictates discharge for gay and lesbian
soldiers who do not remain closeted or celibate with his staff.
“I haven't done any kind of extensive
review. And what I feel most obligated about is to make sure I tell
the president, you know, my – give the president my best advice,
should this law change, on the impact on our people and their
families at these very challenging times,” he said.
Last week, Defense Secretary Robert
Gates said the Pentagon is looking into ways to apply the law in a
“more humane way.” Gates appeared to suggest he disagreed with
discharges in cases where service members were maliciously outed.
“If someone is outed by a third party
… does that force us to take action?” he asked.