Look to Israel on gays in military
Breaking News
A former U.S. military chief of staff cited Israel’s experience in recommending allowing gays to openly join the military.
Gen. John Shalikashvili, who was chief of staff under President Clinton when the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was introduced, said it was time to move on to the next phase: open acceptance of gays in the military.
“I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces,” Shalikashvili wrote on Tuesday’s New York Times’ opinion page.
“Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.
Shalikashvili cited “Israel, Britain and other allies in the fight against terrorism” as having militaries that have successfully integrated gays.
JTA News