Brody's Notes... U. S. Army Secretary: Counterproductive To Take Disciplinary Action Now On DADT

U. S. Army Secretary John M. McHugh   
Official Defence Department  Photo: U. S. Army 

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Apr 1 | In response to questions asked by journalists in a Pentagon press briefing on Wednesday, U. S. Army Secretary John M. McHugh told them that he has been gauging troops' sentiment on "don't ask, don't tell" recently. McHugh stated that some have volunteered that they are Gay. 

"What I'm trying to do is show the troops that, yes, it's okay to talk about this," he said. "I just felt it would be counterproductive . . . to take disciplinary action against someone who spoke openly and honestly." 

McHugh also indicated that he would be disinclined to pursue action against those troops, reasoning that if he hadn't asked, they wouldn't have told. 

In an article published in today's Washington Post, staff writer Craig Whitlock reports that supporters of "don't ask, don't tell" also have to walk a fine line:

Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, received a smack-down from the top brass at the Pentagon after he wrote a letter to Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that covers the military, urging service members and their families to lobby elected officials to keep "don't ask, don't tell" in place. 

Last week, Gates called Mixon's comments "inappropriate." Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, concurred and said that if commanders disagree with policy changes, they should not resort to political advocacy but rather "vote with your feet" by resigning. Since then, however, Mixon appears to have undergone a political rehabilitation. On Wednesday, McHugh said that Mixon had been advised that his letter was "inappropriate" but that he would not receive a formal reprimand.

Another general who has been at odds with Gates and Mullen over "don't ask, don't tell" is James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. Conway has told Congress that the law should not be changed. Last week, he said that even if it is, he will not force straight Marines to live with gay ones in their military quarters, citing what he called "overwhelming" opposition in the Corps to such an arrangement. Conway, however, has not drawn any official rebukes for his views.