WEBVTT 00:00.040 --> 00:03.800 Good afternoon , This past february , I 00:03.800 --> 00:05.967 established a high level working group 00:05.967 --> 00:08.022 to review the issues associated with 00:08.022 --> 00:10.189 implementing a repeal of the Don't ask 00:10.189 --> 00:13.100 Don't tell law regarding homosexual men 00:13.100 --> 00:15.800 and women serving in the military and 00:15.800 --> 00:17.880 based on those findings , to develop 00:17.880 --> 00:20.130 recommendations for implementation . 00:20.140 --> 00:23.030 Should the law change . The working 00:23.030 --> 00:25.100 group has completed their work and 00:25.100 --> 00:27.322 today the department is releasing their 00:27.322 --> 00:29.211 report to the Congress and to the 00:29.211 --> 00:31.670 american public . Admiral mullen and I 00:31.670 --> 00:33.726 will briefly comment on the review's 00:33.726 --> 00:35.781 findings and our recommendations for 00:35.781 --> 00:37.670 the way ahead . We will take some 00:37.670 --> 00:39.600 questions . And then the working 00:39.600 --> 00:43.420 group's co chairs , General Counsel jeh 00:43.420 --> 00:46.750 johnson and army General carter ham 00:47.240 --> 00:49.407 will provide more detail on the report 00:49.407 --> 00:51.629 and answer any questions you might have 00:51.629 --> 00:53.230 on methodology , data and 00:53.230 --> 00:56.090 recommendations . When I first 00:56.090 --> 00:58.340 appointed Mr johnson and general ham to 00:58.340 --> 01:00.396 assume this duty , I did so with the 01:00.396 --> 01:02.451 confidence that they would undertake 01:02.451 --> 01:04.451 this task . With the thoroughness , 01:04.451 --> 01:06.740 seriousness , professionalism , and 01:06.740 --> 01:09.450 objectivity befitting a task of this 01:09.450 --> 01:12.500 magnitude and consequence . I believe 01:12.500 --> 01:14.620 that a close and serious reading of 01:14.620 --> 01:16.787 this report will demonstrate they have 01:16.787 --> 01:18.842 done just that . We are grateful for 01:18.842 --> 01:20.731 the service they have rendered in 01:20.731 --> 01:22.342 taking on such a complex and 01:22.342 --> 01:25.200 controversial subject . The findings of 01:25.200 --> 01:27.311 their report reflect nearly 10 months 01:27.311 --> 01:29.478 of research and analysis along several 01:29.478 --> 01:31.589 lines of study and represent the most 01:31.589 --> 01:33.810 thorough and objective review ever of 01:33.810 --> 01:35.860 this difficult policy issue and its 01:35.860 --> 01:39.110 impact on the American military . First , 01:39.110 --> 01:41.221 the group reached out to the force to 01:41.221 --> 01:43.110 better understand their views and 01:43.110 --> 01:45.221 attitudes about a potential repeal of 01:45.221 --> 01:47.770 Don't ask Don't Tell law , as was made 01:47.770 --> 01:49.810 clear at the time and is worth 01:49.810 --> 01:52.840 repeating today . This outreach was not 01:52.840 --> 01:54.673 a matter of taking a poll of the 01:54.673 --> 01:56.784 military to determine whether the law 01:56.784 --> 01:59.620 should be changed . The very idea of 01:59.620 --> 02:02.730 asking the force to in effect , vote on 02:02.730 --> 02:05.150 such a matter is antithetical to our 02:05.150 --> 02:07.200 system of government and would have 02:07.200 --> 02:09.144 been without precedent in the long 02:09.144 --> 02:11.311 history of our civilian led military . 02:12.440 --> 02:14.496 The President of the United States , 02:14.496 --> 02:16.496 the commander in chief of the Armed 02:16.496 --> 02:18.718 forces made his position on this matter 02:18.718 --> 02:22.340 clear a position I support our job as 02:22.340 --> 02:24.562 the civilian and military leadership of 02:24.562 --> 02:26.620 the Department of Defense was to 02:26.620 --> 02:28.787 determine how best to prepare for such 02:28.787 --> 02:30.970 a change . Should the Congress changed 02:30.970 --> 02:33.770 the law . Nonetheless , I thought it 02:33.770 --> 02:35.714 critically important to engage our 02:35.714 --> 02:38.048 troops and their families on this issue , 02:38.048 --> 02:40.214 as ultimately it will be they who will 02:40.214 --> 02:41.992 determine whether or not such a 02:41.992 --> 02:45.050 transition is successful . I believe 02:45.050 --> 02:46.994 that we had to learn the attitudes 02:46.994 --> 02:49.161 obstacles and concerns that would need 02:49.161 --> 02:51.161 to be addressed . Should the law be 02:51.161 --> 02:53.150 changed , we could do this only by 02:53.150 --> 02:55.261 reaching out and listening to our men 02:55.261 --> 02:57.594 and women in uniform and their families . 02:57.610 --> 02:59.443 The working group undertook this 02:59.443 --> 03:01.610 through a variety of means from a mass 03:01.610 --> 03:03.832 survey answered by tens of thousands of 03:03.832 --> 03:06.540 troops and their spouses . Two meetings 03:06.540 --> 03:08.490 with small groups and individuals 03:08.540 --> 03:10.762 including hearing from those discharged 03:10.762 --> 03:13.960 under the current law . Mr johnson and 03:13.960 --> 03:16.180 General Hamm will provide more detail 03:16.190 --> 03:18.357 on the results of the survey of troops 03:18.357 --> 03:20.960 and their families , But in summary , a 03:20.960 --> 03:23.071 strong majority of those who answered 03:23.071 --> 03:26.150 the survey , more than 2/3 do not 03:26.150 --> 03:28.800 object to gays and serpent serving 03:28.800 --> 03:31.820 openly in uniform . The findings 03:31.820 --> 03:33.987 suggest that for large segments of the 03:33.987 --> 03:36.750 military repeal of don't ask don't tell 03:37.010 --> 03:39.066 though potentially disruptive in the 03:39.066 --> 03:41.980 short term would not be the wrenching 03:41.980 --> 03:44.080 dramatic traumatic change that many 03:44.080 --> 03:47.370 have feared and predicted . The data 03:47.370 --> 03:51.080 also shows that within the combat arms 03:51.080 --> 03:53.490 specialties and units there is a higher 03:53.490 --> 03:56.910 level of discontent of discomfort and 03:56.910 --> 03:58.854 resistance to changing the current 03:58.854 --> 04:01.600 policy . Those findings and the 04:01.600 --> 04:03.656 potential implications for America's 04:03.656 --> 04:06.040 fighting forces remain a source of 04:06.040 --> 04:08.950 concern to the service chiefs and to me , 04:09.340 --> 04:12.320 I'll discuss this later . Second , the 04:12.320 --> 04:14.487 working group also examined thoroughly 04:14.487 --> 04:16.320 all the potential changes to the 04:16.320 --> 04:18.431 department's regulations and policies 04:18.431 --> 04:20.653 dealing with matters such as benefits , 04:20.653 --> 04:22.931 housing relationships within the ranks , 04:22.931 --> 04:25.990 separations and discharges as the co 04:25.990 --> 04:28.157 chairs will explain in a few minutes . 04:28.240 --> 04:30.351 The majority of concerns often raised 04:30.351 --> 04:33.190 in association with the repeal dealing 04:33.190 --> 04:35.430 with sexual conduct , fraternization , 04:35.430 --> 04:37.470 billeting arrangements , marital or 04:37.470 --> 04:40.330 survivor benefits could be governed by 04:40.330 --> 04:42.460 existing laws and regulations . 04:43.240 --> 04:46.060 Existing policies can and should be 04:46.540 --> 04:49.450 applied equally to homosexuals as well 04:49.450 --> 04:52.430 as heterosexuals . While a repeal would 04:52.430 --> 04:54.740 require some changes to regulations . 04:54.960 --> 04:57.340 The key to success as with most things 04:57.340 --> 05:00.800 military is training , education and 05:00.800 --> 05:02.689 above all . Strong and principled 05:02.689 --> 05:04.689 leadership up and down the chain of 05:04.689 --> 05:07.370 command . Third , the working group 05:07.380 --> 05:09.324 examined the potential impact of a 05:09.324 --> 05:11.658 change in the law on military readiness , 05:11.658 --> 05:14.040 including the impact on unit cohesion , 05:14.050 --> 05:16.220 recruiting and retention and other 05:16.220 --> 05:18.331 issues critical to the performance of 05:18.331 --> 05:21.140 the force . In my view , getting this 05:21.140 --> 05:23.500 category right is the most important 05:23.500 --> 05:26.410 thing we must do . The U . S . Armed 05:26.410 --> 05:28.521 forces are in the middle of two major 05:28.521 --> 05:31.890 military overseas campaigns , a 05:31.890 --> 05:34.460 complex and difficult draw down in Iraq , 05:34.940 --> 05:38.540 a war in Afghanistan , both of which 05:38.540 --> 05:40.540 are putting extraordinary stress on 05:40.540 --> 05:42.651 those serving on the ground and their 05:42.651 --> 05:44.850 families . It is the well being of 05:44.850 --> 05:46.850 these brave young americans , those 05:46.850 --> 05:49.017 doing the fighting and the dying since 05:49.017 --> 05:51.960 9 11 that has guided every decision I 05:51.960 --> 05:54.127 have made in the pentagon since taking 05:54.127 --> 05:57.000 this post nearly four years ago . It 05:57.000 --> 05:59.730 will be no different on this issue . I 05:59.730 --> 06:01.952 am determined to see that if the law is 06:01.952 --> 06:04.240 repealed , the changes are implemented 06:04.240 --> 06:06.220 in such a way as to minimize any 06:06.220 --> 06:08.540 negative impact on the morale , 06:08.540 --> 06:10.970 cohesion and effectiveness of combat 06:10.970 --> 06:13.980 units that are deployed about to deploy 06:13.990 --> 06:17.160 to the front lines with regards to 06:17.160 --> 06:19.530 readiness . The working group report 06:19.530 --> 06:21.308 concluded that overall and with 06:21.308 --> 06:23.760 thorough preparation and I emphasised 06:23.770 --> 06:26.340 thorough preparation , there is a low 06:26.340 --> 06:28.562 risk from repealing . Don't ask , don't 06:28.562 --> 06:31.540 tell . However , as I mentioned earlier , 06:31.750 --> 06:33.806 the survey data showed that a higher 06:33.806 --> 06:37.410 proportion between 40 and 60% of those 06:37.410 --> 06:39.410 troops serving in predominantly all 06:39.410 --> 06:42.520 male combat specialties , mostly army 06:42.520 --> 06:44.742 and marines , but including the special 06:44.742 --> 06:47.100 operations formations of the Navy and 06:47.100 --> 06:49.690 the Air force , predicted a negative 06:49.690 --> 06:52.270 effect on unit cohesion from repealing 06:52.270 --> 06:55.300 the current law . For this reason , the 06:55.300 --> 06:57.078 uniform service chiefs are less 06:57.078 --> 06:59.078 sanguine about the working than the 06:59.078 --> 07:01.189 working group about the level of risk 07:01.189 --> 07:03.180 of repeal with regard to combat 07:03.180 --> 07:05.850 readiness . The views of the chiefs 07:05.850 --> 07:08.150 were sought out and taken seriously by 07:08.150 --> 07:10.360 me and by the authors of this report . 07:11.540 --> 07:13.207 The chiefs will also have the 07:13.207 --> 07:15.640 opportunity to explain their to provide 07:15.640 --> 07:17.640 their expert military advice to the 07:17.640 --> 07:19.807 Congress as they have to me and to the 07:19.807 --> 07:22.540 president . Their perspective deserves 07:22.540 --> 07:25.840 serious attention and consideration as 07:25.840 --> 07:28.007 it reflects the judgment of decades of 07:28.007 --> 07:30.210 experience and the sentiment of many 07:30.210 --> 07:33.300 senior officers in my view , the 07:33.300 --> 07:35.550 concerns of combat troops as expressed 07:35.550 --> 07:38.390 in the survey , do not present an 07:38.400 --> 07:40.630 insurmountable barrier to successful 07:40.630 --> 07:43.980 repeal of don't ask don't tell . This 07:43.980 --> 07:46.860 can be done and should be done without 07:46.870 --> 07:49.200 posing a serious risk to military 07:49.200 --> 07:52.720 readiness . However , these findings do 07:52.720 --> 07:54.831 lead me to conclude that an abundance 07:54.831 --> 07:57.890 of care and preparation is required if 07:57.890 --> 07:59.723 we are to avoid a disruptive and 07:59.723 --> 08:01.920 potentially dangerous impact on the 08:01.920 --> 08:04.470 performance of those serving at the tip 08:04.470 --> 08:08.190 of the spear in America's wars . This 08:08.190 --> 08:10.357 brings me to my recommendations on the 08:10.357 --> 08:13.010 way ahead . Earlier this year , the 08:13.010 --> 08:14.788 House of Representatives passed 08:14.788 --> 08:17.010 legislation that would repeal Don't ask 08:17.010 --> 08:19.232 Don't tell after a number of steps take 08:19.232 --> 08:22.070 place . The last being certification by 08:22.070 --> 08:24.380 the President Secretary of Defense and 08:24.380 --> 08:26.680 the chairman that the new policies and 08:26.680 --> 08:28.958 regulations were consistent with the U . 08:28.958 --> 08:30.958 S . Military standards of readiness 08:30.958 --> 08:33.150 effectiveness , unit cohesion and 08:33.150 --> 08:35.850 recruiting and retention . Now that we 08:35.850 --> 08:38.390 have completed this review , I strongly 08:38.390 --> 08:40.001 urge the Senate to pass this 08:40.001 --> 08:41.723 legislation and send it to the 08:41.723 --> 08:43.890 President for signature before the end 08:43.890 --> 08:46.110 of this year . I believe this is a 08:46.110 --> 08:48.260 matter of some urgency because as we 08:48.260 --> 08:50.650 have seen in the past year , the 08:50.650 --> 08:52.580 federal courts are increasingly 08:52.580 --> 08:55.500 becoming involved in this issue . Just 08:55.500 --> 08:57.460 a few weeks ago , one lower court 08:57.460 --> 08:59.516 ruling forced the department into an 08:59.516 --> 09:01.670 abrupt series of changes . There were 09:01.670 --> 09:04.380 no doubt confusing and distracting to 09:04.380 --> 09:07.240 men and women in the ranks . It is only 09:07.240 --> 09:09.370 a matter of time before the federal 09:09.370 --> 09:11.410 courts are drawn once more into the 09:11.410 --> 09:14.310 fray with the very real possibility 09:14.310 --> 09:16.199 that this change would be imposed 09:16.199 --> 09:20.020 immediately by judicial fiat by far the 09:20.020 --> 09:22.740 most disruptive and damaging scenario I 09:22.740 --> 09:24.920 can imagine and one of the most 09:24.920 --> 09:27.920 hazardous to military morale readiness 09:28.140 --> 09:31.490 and battlefield performance . Therefore , 09:31.490 --> 09:33.601 it is important that this change come 09:33.601 --> 09:36.250 via legislative means that is 09:36.250 --> 09:38.306 legislation informed by the review . 09:38.306 --> 09:40.930 Just completed . What is needed is a 09:40.930 --> 09:43.350 process that allows for a well prepared 09:43.350 --> 09:45.310 and well considered implementation 09:46.040 --> 09:48.207 above all , a process that carries the 09:48.207 --> 09:49.651 imprimatur of the elected 09:49.651 --> 09:51.707 representatives of the people of the 09:51.707 --> 09:54.040 United States . Given the present 09:54.040 --> 09:56.270 circumstances , those that choose not 09:56.280 --> 09:59.110 to act legislatively are rolling the 09:59.110 --> 10:01.320 dice that this policy will not be 10:01.320 --> 10:04.830 abruptly overturned by the courts . The 10:04.830 --> 10:06.663 legislation presently before the 10:06.663 --> 10:08.719 Congress would authorize a repeal of 10:08.719 --> 10:10.774 the Don't ask Don't tell pending the 10:10.774 --> 10:12.608 certification by the president's 10:12.608 --> 10:14.830 Secretary of defense and the chairman . 10:14.830 --> 10:16.997 It would not harm military readiness . 10:16.997 --> 10:19.108 Nonetheless , I believe that it would 10:19.108 --> 10:20.997 be unwise to push ahead with full 10:20.997 --> 10:23.080 implementation of repeal before more 10:23.080 --> 10:25.610 can be done to prepare the force in 10:25.610 --> 10:27.410 particular those ground combat 10:27.410 --> 10:29.820 specialties and units for what could be 10:29.820 --> 10:32.060 a disruptive and disorienting change . 10:33.010 --> 10:35.450 The working group's plan with a strong 10:35.450 --> 10:37.506 emphasis on education , training and 10:37.506 --> 10:40.140 leader development provides a solid 10:40.140 --> 10:42.230 road map for a successful full 10:42.240 --> 10:45.120 implementation of repeal , assuming 10:45.120 --> 10:47.287 that the military has given sufficient 10:47.287 --> 10:49.287 time and preparation to get the job 10:49.287 --> 10:51.840 done right . The department has already 10:51.840 --> 10:54.062 made a number of changes to regulations 10:54.062 --> 10:56.370 that within existing law applied more 10:56.370 --> 10:58.370 exacting standards to procedures 10:58.370 --> 11:01.770 investigating or separating troops for 11:01.780 --> 11:04.990 suspected homosexual conduct , changes 11:04.990 --> 11:06.990 that have added a measure of common 11:06.990 --> 11:09.110 sense and decency to illegally and 11:09.110 --> 11:12.740 morally fraught process . I would close 11:12.740 --> 11:14.629 on a personal note and a personal 11:14.629 --> 11:17.220 appeal . This is the second time that I 11:17.220 --> 11:19.387 have dealt with this issue as a leader 11:19.387 --> 11:21.960 in public life . The prior case being 11:21.960 --> 11:25.140 in CIA 1992 , when I directed that 11:25.140 --> 11:27.251 openly gay applicants be treated like 11:27.251 --> 11:29.810 all other applicants . That is whether 11:29.810 --> 11:31.477 as individuals , they met our 11:31.477 --> 11:34.360 competitive standards . That was , and 11:34.370 --> 11:37.520 is a situation significantly different 11:37.530 --> 11:39.860 in circumstance and consequence than 11:39.860 --> 11:41.971 confronting than that confronting the 11:41.971 --> 11:44.730 United States Armed forces today views 11:44.730 --> 11:46.940 toward gay and americans have changed 11:46.940 --> 11:49.170 considerably during this period and 11:49.170 --> 11:51.392 have grown more accepting since . Don't 11:51.392 --> 11:54.020 ask Don't tell was first enacted , but 11:54.020 --> 11:56.131 feelings on this matter can still run 11:56.131 --> 11:59.030 deep and divide often starkly along 11:59.030 --> 12:01.950 demographic , cultural and generational 12:01.950 --> 12:04.860 lines , not only in society as a whole , 12:05.240 --> 12:08.520 but in the uniform ranks as well . For 12:08.520 --> 12:10.631 this reason , I would ask as Congress 12:10.631 --> 12:13.350 takes on this debate for all involved 12:13.360 --> 12:15.810 to resist the urge to lure our troops 12:15.820 --> 12:18.042 and their families into the politics of 12:18.042 --> 12:20.580 this issue . What is called for is a 12:20.580 --> 12:23.250 careful and considered approach , an 12:23.250 --> 12:25.306 approach that to the extent possible 12:25.306 --> 12:27.250 welcomes all who are qualified and 12:27.250 --> 12:29.250 capable of serving their country in 12:29.250 --> 12:31.028 uniform , but one that does not 12:31.028 --> 12:33.860 undermine out of haste or dogmatism , 12:34.330 --> 12:36.497 those attributes that make the U . S . 12:36.497 --> 12:38.608 Military the finest fighting force in 12:38.608 --> 12:40.950 the world . The stakes are too high for 12:40.950 --> 12:43.690 a nation under threat for a military at 12:43.690 --> 12:47.550 war to do any less . Admiral , thank 12:47.550 --> 12:50.450 you Secretary . I too wish to thank jeh 12:50.450 --> 12:53.720 johnson and carter ham as well as 12:53.730 --> 12:55.897 everyone involved in the working group 12:55.897 --> 12:58.063 for their extraordinary efforts . Over 12:58.063 --> 13:00.410 much of the past year , I fully endorse 13:00.410 --> 13:03.090 their report , its findings and the 13:03.090 --> 13:05.640 implementation plan recommended by the 13:05.640 --> 13:07.780 working group , the working group was 13:07.780 --> 13:10.120 given a tall order . Indeed , nothing 13:10.120 --> 13:12.120 less than producing the first truly 13:12.290 --> 13:14.346 comprehensive assessment of not only 13:14.346 --> 13:16.930 the impact repeal of the law governing . 13:16.930 --> 13:19.260 Don't ask . Don't tell but also about 13:19.260 --> 13:21.760 how best to implement a new policy 13:22.140 --> 13:25.150 across the joint force as the secretary 13:25.150 --> 13:27.317 indicated . The working group surveyed 13:27.317 --> 13:29.039 our troops and their spouses , 13:29.039 --> 13:31.380 consulted proponents and opponents of 13:31.380 --> 13:34.480 repeal and examined military experience 13:34.560 --> 13:37.240 around the world . They also spoke with 13:37.240 --> 13:39.980 serving gays and as well as former 13:39.980 --> 13:42.360 members of the military who are gay and . 13:43.540 --> 13:45.762 The result is one of the most expansive 13:45.762 --> 13:48.060 studies ever done on military personnel 13:48.070 --> 13:50.640 issues and I applaud the time that was 13:50.640 --> 13:53.470 taken to arrive at solid defensible 13:53.470 --> 13:56.390 conclusions . More critically . I was 13:56.390 --> 13:58.612 gratified to see that the working group 13:58.612 --> 14:00.112 focused their findings and 14:00.112 --> 14:02.530 recommendations rightly on those who 14:02.530 --> 14:04.810 would be most affected by a change in 14:04.810 --> 14:08.000 the law , our people , all of our 14:08.000 --> 14:11.300 people and so for the first time , the 14:11.300 --> 14:13.133 Chiefs and I have more than just 14:13.133 --> 14:15.310 anecdotal evidence and hearsay to 14:15.310 --> 14:17.477 inform the advice we give our civilian 14:17.477 --> 14:19.532 leaders . We've discussed this issue 14:19.532 --> 14:21.920 extensively amongst ourselves and with 14:21.920 --> 14:24.380 the secretary and the Chiefs and I met 14:24.380 --> 14:26.269 with the president as recently as 14:26.269 --> 14:29.090 yesterday . I only want to add three 14:29.090 --> 14:30.923 points to what the secretary has 14:30.923 --> 14:33.090 already laid out first . I think it's 14:33.090 --> 14:35.312 noteworthy that the working group found 14:35.312 --> 14:37.570 strong leadership to be the single most 14:37.570 --> 14:40.220 important factor in implementing any 14:40.220 --> 14:43.260 repeal . That may sound fairly obvious , 14:43.440 --> 14:47.320 but it is a key critical point . We all 14:47.320 --> 14:49.376 have our opinions and those opinions 14:49.376 --> 14:51.590 matter . This is without question , a 14:51.590 --> 14:55.070 complex social and cultural issue , but 14:55.070 --> 14:57.126 at the end of the day , whatever the 14:57.126 --> 14:59.348 decision of our elected leaders , maybe 14:59.348 --> 15:01.348 we in uniform have an obligation to 15:01.348 --> 15:04.000 follow orders when those orders involve 15:04.000 --> 15:07.080 significant change such as this ? Would 15:07.090 --> 15:09.340 we need to find ways to lead the way 15:09.340 --> 15:12.100 forward ? Our troops and their families 15:12.110 --> 15:14.540 expect that from us . And I think the 15:14.540 --> 15:17.380 american people do as well . 15:17.390 --> 15:19.790 Second we've heard loud and clear that 15:19.790 --> 15:21.960 our troops also expect us to maintain 15:21.970 --> 15:24.640 high standards of conduct and 15:24.640 --> 15:26.970 professionalism both as we move forward 15:26.970 --> 15:30.150 in this debate and should repeal occur , 15:30.740 --> 15:32.620 we treat people with dignity and 15:32.620 --> 15:36.020 respect in the armed forces or we don't 15:36.020 --> 15:39.120 last long , no special cases , no 15:39.120 --> 15:41.650 special treatment . We're going to 15:41.650 --> 15:43.594 continue to comport ourselves with 15:43.594 --> 15:45.650 honor and hold ourselves accountable 15:45.650 --> 15:48.270 across the board to impeccably high 15:48.270 --> 15:51.060 standards , repeal or no repeal . 15:52.640 --> 15:54.862 Finally , the report shows that however 15:54.862 --> 15:57.050 low the overall risk of repeal maybe 15:57.050 --> 15:59.390 with respect to readiness , cohesion 15:59.390 --> 16:01.600 and retention . It is not without its 16:01.600 --> 16:03.980 challenges . We can best address those 16:03.980 --> 16:05.924 challenges by having it within our 16:05.924 --> 16:08.147 power and our prerogative to manage the 16:08.147 --> 16:10.810 implementation process ourselves . 16:10.820 --> 16:13.700 Should repeal occur . I share the 16:13.700 --> 16:15.811 Secretary's desire that it come about 16:15.811 --> 16:18.340 through legislation through the same 16:18.340 --> 16:20.510 process with which the law was enacted 16:20.920 --> 16:23.050 rather than precipitously through the 16:23.050 --> 16:25.750 courts . I further hope that such 16:25.750 --> 16:27.972 debate in the Congress will be as fully 16:27.972 --> 16:30.139 informed by the good work done in this 16:30.139 --> 16:32.590 report as my advice to the secretary 16:32.600 --> 16:35.350 and to the president is Thank you . 16:37.410 --> 16:39.521 He said it would be unwise to proceed 16:39.521 --> 16:41.243 with repeal until there's more 16:41.243 --> 16:44.330 groundwork . How long do you envision 16:44.330 --> 16:46.920 that process lasting ? And is this a 16:46.920 --> 16:48.976 concern and a recommendation that is 16:48.976 --> 16:52.360 shared by the White House ? Uh As far 16:52.360 --> 16:55.360 as once Congress acts , they're still 16:55.360 --> 16:58.300 being a period in which the policy is 16:58.300 --> 17:00.300 in place abnormal . And do you also 17:00.300 --> 17:02.420 share that recommendation ? Well , 17:02.420 --> 17:04.587 first of all , just to be clear , what 17:04.587 --> 17:06.753 we're talking about is that should the 17:06.753 --> 17:10.530 Congress vote to repeal the law , what 17:10.530 --> 17:12.560 we are asking for is the time 17:12.570 --> 17:15.460 subsequent to that to prepare 17:15.840 --> 17:19.450 adequately before the changes 17:19.450 --> 17:21.950 implemented in the force ? How long 17:21.950 --> 17:24.560 that would take frankly , I don't know 17:25.920 --> 17:29.050 there is the report as you will see in 17:29.050 --> 17:32.420 the in the implementation plan 17:32.840 --> 17:35.960 lays out an ambitious agenda of things 17:35.960 --> 17:38.182 that need to be done including not only 17:38.182 --> 17:40.940 leadership training but training Of a 17:40.950 --> 17:42.894 military force of over two million 17:42.894 --> 17:46.540 people . I would say this . I think 17:46.550 --> 17:48.772 we all would expect that if this law is 17:48.772 --> 17:51.090 implemented , the President would be 17:51.090 --> 17:54.830 watch is if repeal his past . The 17:54.830 --> 17:56.663 President would be watching very 17:56.663 --> 17:58.830 closely to ensure that we don't dawdle 17:58.830 --> 18:02.180 or try to slow roll this . So I think 18:02.180 --> 18:04.980 his expectation would be that we would 18:04.980 --> 18:08.000 prepare as quickly as we properly and 18:08.000 --> 18:11.500 comprehensively could and then we would 18:11.500 --> 18:13.500 be in a position to move toward the 18:13.500 --> 18:15.722 certification , but how long that would 18:15.722 --> 18:19.410 take . I think , I don't know there 18:19.410 --> 18:21.632 will be , there is a level of risk here 18:21.632 --> 18:23.930 is laid out in the report and I I would 18:23.930 --> 18:26.280 hope you spend as much time on the 18:26.280 --> 18:29.020 implementation plan as a report because 18:29.020 --> 18:32.270 implementation plan , certainly from 18:32.270 --> 18:35.130 all the military leadership is strongly 18:35.130 --> 18:37.670 endorsed should this law change . And 18:37.670 --> 18:40.130 it is in that implementation plan that 18:40.140 --> 18:43.520 the risk levels are mitigated and 18:43.520 --> 18:45.970 principally mitigated through 18:45.970 --> 18:48.081 leadership , certainly the training , 18:48.081 --> 18:50.137 the guidance , but the engagement of 18:50.137 --> 18:52.248 the leadership and having enough time 18:52.248 --> 18:55.810 to do that is critically important . As 18:55.810 --> 18:57.840 we would look at implementation . 18:57.850 --> 19:00.940 That's what really mitigates any risk 19:00.950 --> 19:04.900 that's out there . Mhm . Um you said 19:04.900 --> 19:07.130 that she's are less sanguine . They've 19:07.130 --> 19:11.120 been working uh what specifically have 19:11.120 --> 19:14.000 they told you about their concerns and 19:14.000 --> 19:16.670 why in time of war except anyone 19:17.040 --> 19:20.650 increase in the level . Well , 19:20.660 --> 19:22.882 the chiefs will speak for themselves on 19:22.882 --> 19:25.660 friday and the chairman has spent much 19:25.660 --> 19:29.520 more time with them that I have on 19:29.520 --> 19:31.631 this . I think , I think it's fair to 19:31.631 --> 19:35.090 say that there are concerns revolve 19:35.090 --> 19:38.960 around Stress on the force after 19:38.960 --> 19:40.560 nearly 10 years of war . 19:41.980 --> 19:45.080 And and I think they are concerned 19:45.090 --> 19:47.860 about the higher levels of 19:48.340 --> 19:51.850 negative response from the ground 19:51.850 --> 19:55.080 combat units and a special special 19:55.080 --> 19:57.302 operations units that I've talked about 19:57.302 --> 20:01.150 in my in my remarks , I 20:01.160 --> 20:03.920 think that I would just like to go back 20:03.920 --> 20:06.590 and underscore the chairman's point and 20:06.590 --> 20:10.140 that is the level of risk is 20:10.150 --> 20:13.550 tied intimately to the quality of 20:13.790 --> 20:16.770 preparation and 20:16.780 --> 20:20.700 uh to do this . So I guess I would put 20:20.700 --> 20:22.922 it this way if a court ordered us to do 20:22.922 --> 20:25.770 this tomorrow . I believe the force , 20:25.780 --> 20:29.630 the risk to the force would be high if 20:29.630 --> 20:32.760 we had no time to prepare . If we have 20:32.760 --> 20:35.200 plenty of time to prepare the force to 20:35.200 --> 20:37.790 prepare the leadership . I think the 20:37.790 --> 20:40.330 more effectively we do that preparation , 20:40.430 --> 20:43.690 the lower the risk that I've engaged 20:43.700 --> 20:45.940 actually many , many times with the 20:45.940 --> 20:48.107 chiefs or the class over the last many 20:48.107 --> 20:50.218 months . And so we've had very , very 20:50.218 --> 20:52.273 extensive discussions about this and 20:52.340 --> 20:56.050 from the standpoint of a 20:56.060 --> 20:58.680 change in the law , my perspective is 20:58.690 --> 21:02.470 as what I would call my certainly 21:02.470 --> 21:04.359 was my personal opinion is now my 21:04.359 --> 21:07.820 professional view that this is a policy 21:07.820 --> 21:09.931 change that we can make and we can do 21:09.931 --> 21:13.920 it in a in a relatively low risk 21:13.920 --> 21:16.100 fashion given the time and given the 21:16.100 --> 21:18.156 ability to mitigate whatever risk is 21:18.156 --> 21:20.267 out there through strong leadership . 21:20.280 --> 21:24.000 In fact , part of this is the fact 21:24.000 --> 21:27.110 that we have been at war for so long . 21:27.120 --> 21:29.720 We have one of the discussions about 21:29.720 --> 21:31.887 this is affecting combat effectiveness 21:31.887 --> 21:34.950 or combat readiness . I've never 21:35.740 --> 21:37.907 been associated with a better military 21:37.907 --> 21:39.940 than we are right now and better 21:39.950 --> 21:42.320 military leaders and I have tremendous 21:42.320 --> 21:44.470 confidence that should should this 21:44.470 --> 21:46.192 change that they'll be able to 21:46.192 --> 21:48.200 implement it very specifically . 21:48.880 --> 21:52.340 Again , the Chiefs will speak for 21:52.340 --> 21:55.130 themselves on friday Secretary , you 21:55.130 --> 21:57.352 raised the issue of combat arms and the 21:57.352 --> 22:00.760 report shows that of those polled 50% 22:00.760 --> 22:03.830 an army combat arms are opposed 60% and 22:03.830 --> 22:06.660 marine combat arms . Uh , there's also 22:06.660 --> 22:08.716 the issue of chaplains to the report 22:08.716 --> 22:10.827 says that this very strong opposition 22:10.827 --> 22:12.827 among the Chaplain's here as well . 22:12.827 --> 22:15.049 What would you say to both groups ? How 22:15.049 --> 22:16.993 would you deal with this with both 22:16.993 --> 22:19.160 groups ? Well , the interesting one of 22:19.160 --> 22:22.830 the other considerations in this , that 22:22.840 --> 22:26.200 the report revealed is even in combat 22:26.200 --> 22:28.360 arms units , 22:30.010 --> 22:33.690 those who among those who believed they 22:33.690 --> 22:37.060 had served with a gay person before . 22:38.740 --> 22:42.020 The level of comfort with going forward 22:42.030 --> 22:46.020 was something like 90% . So part of 22:46.020 --> 22:49.360 this is a question of , 22:49.840 --> 22:53.450 of unfamiliarity , Part of it is 22:53.460 --> 22:56.270 stereotypes . Um , 22:57.010 --> 23:00.060 and part of it is , is just sort of 23:00.500 --> 23:04.270 inherent resistance to change when , 23:04.640 --> 23:06.862 when you don't know what's on the other 23:06.862 --> 23:10.170 side . And so I think I think that 23:10.180 --> 23:14.140 the contrast between the significant 23:14.140 --> 23:17.400 levels of concern for those who had , 23:17.410 --> 23:19.410 who said they had never served with 23:19.410 --> 23:21.632 someone who was gay as opposed to those 23:21.632 --> 23:24.570 who had is is an important 23:24.570 --> 23:27.330 consideration . But what I would say to 23:27.330 --> 23:31.000 them is frankly , if the 23:31.000 --> 23:33.056 Congress of the United States repeal 23:33.056 --> 23:35.540 this law , this is the will of the 23:35.540 --> 23:38.150 american people and you are the 23:38.150 --> 23:41.440 american military and we will do this 23:41.520 --> 23:45.430 and we will do it right and we will 23:45.430 --> 23:48.700 do everything in our power to mitigate 23:48.710 --> 23:51.290 the concerns that you have . Yeah , 23:52.840 --> 23:55.180 the same time . A very large number 23:55.190 --> 23:57.270 view homosexuality as a sin or 23:57.270 --> 23:59.490 abomination . And the report and the 23:59.490 --> 24:01.601 report identifies that the chaplain's 24:01.601 --> 24:04.800 already serve in a force many of whose 24:04.800 --> 24:07.440 members do not share their values who 24:07.440 --> 24:10.790 do not share their beliefs . And there 24:10.790 --> 24:14.320 is an obligation to care for all . But 24:14.320 --> 24:16.542 it also is clear that the chaplains are 24:16.542 --> 24:18.660 not going to be asked to teach 24:18.660 --> 24:21.410 something . They don't believe it . And 24:21.420 --> 24:24.510 so I think that I think the report is 24:24.510 --> 24:28.100 pretty clear on them . Thank you . Uh , 24:28.110 --> 24:31.010 don't ask questions . Wikileaks post 24:31.010 --> 24:33.430 wikileaks reaction , What's your sense ? 24:33.430 --> 24:35.541 And whether the information sharing , 24:35.541 --> 24:37.763 climate and environment created after 9 24:37.763 --> 24:40.120 11 to encourage greater cooperation and 24:40.130 --> 24:42.130 transparency among the intelligence 24:42.130 --> 24:44.130 communities and the military led to 24:44.130 --> 24:46.019 these three massive don't buy dad 24:46.019 --> 24:48.074 adults . And how concerned are , you 24:48.074 --> 24:50.241 know , there may be an overreaction to 24:50.241 --> 24:52.241 clamp down on information dispersal 24:52.540 --> 24:55.360 because of the disclosures . 24:56.440 --> 24:59.330 One of the common themes that I heard 24:59.330 --> 25:02.710 from the time I was A senior agency 25:02.710 --> 25:05.360 official in the early 1980s in every 25:05.360 --> 25:08.860 military engagement we were in 25:09.440 --> 25:11.273 was the complaint of the lack of 25:11.273 --> 25:14.610 adequate intelligence support . Uh , 25:14.620 --> 25:17.760 that began to change With the Gulf War 25:17.760 --> 25:20.950 in 1991 . But it really has changed 25:20.950 --> 25:24.240 dramatically after 911 . And clearly 25:24.240 --> 25:28.140 the finding that the lack of sharing 25:28.140 --> 25:30.180 of information had prevented people 25:30.180 --> 25:32.360 from quote unquote connecting the dots 25:32.830 --> 25:34.920 lead to much wider sharing of 25:34.920 --> 25:37.300 information . And I would say 25:37.300 --> 25:40.580 especially wider sharing of information 25:40.590 --> 25:43.440 at the front so that no one at the 25:43.440 --> 25:45.540 front was denied and one of the 25:45.540 --> 25:47.960 theaters Afghanistan or Iraq was denied 25:48.340 --> 25:51.710 any information that might 25:51.720 --> 25:54.710 possibly be helpful too . Now obviously 25:54.890 --> 25:57.330 that aperture went too wide . There's 25:57.330 --> 26:01.290 no reason for a young officer at a 26:01.300 --> 26:04.600 forward operating post in Afghanistan 26:04.610 --> 26:06.710 to get cables having to do with the 26:06.710 --> 26:09.880 start negotiations and so we've taken a 26:09.880 --> 26:12.070 number of mitigating steps in the 26:12.070 --> 26:14.180 department . I directed a number of 26:14.180 --> 26:17.660 these things to be undertaken in august 26:18.140 --> 26:21.670 uh first the automatic 26:21.680 --> 26:23.510 automated capability to monitor 26:23.510 --> 26:26.560 workstations for security purposes . 26:26.940 --> 26:29.730 We've got about 60% of this done mostly 26:29.730 --> 26:33.500 in mostly stateside and I've directed 26:33.500 --> 26:35.833 that we accelerate the completion of it . 26:36.040 --> 26:38.600 Second , as I think , you know , we've 26:38.600 --> 26:41.040 taken steps in centcom in september and 26:41.040 --> 26:44.460 now everywhere to direct that 26:44.470 --> 26:47.140 all cD and 26:47.140 --> 26:50.950 DVD right capability off the 26:50.950 --> 26:54.860 network be disabled . Um 26:54.870 --> 26:57.230 we have we have done some other things 26:57.230 --> 27:00.270 in terms of two man policies wherever 27:00.270 --> 27:02.240 you can move information from a 27:02.250 --> 27:04.306 classified system to an unclassified 27:04.306 --> 27:07.620 system To have a two person a policy 27:07.620 --> 27:10.420 there and then we have some longer term 27:10.430 --> 27:12.860 efforts under way in which we can take 27:12.870 --> 27:14.648 in first of all in which we can 27:14.648 --> 27:18.640 identify anomalies from sort of 27:18.640 --> 27:20.696 like credit card companies do in the 27:20.696 --> 27:22.529 use of computer and then finally 27:22.529 --> 27:25.640 efforts to actually taylor as 27:25.650 --> 27:28.830 access depending on roles but let me 27:28.830 --> 27:32.010 say let me address the latter part of 27:32.010 --> 27:34.800 your question . This is obviously a 27:34.810 --> 27:37.260 massive dump of information . First of 27:37.260 --> 27:39.371 all I would say , unlike the pentagon 27:39.371 --> 27:41.680 papers , one of the things that is 27:41.680 --> 27:43.680 important . I think in all of these 27:43.680 --> 27:45.680 releases , whether it's Afghanistan 27:45.680 --> 27:48.270 Iraq or the releases this week 27:49.140 --> 27:51.560 is the lack of any significant 27:51.560 --> 27:53.282 difference between what the US 27:53.282 --> 27:55.504 government says publicly and what these 27:55.504 --> 27:57.671 things show privately . Whereas in the 27:57.671 --> 28:00.120 pentagon papers showed that many in the 28:00.120 --> 28:02.231 government were not only lying to the 28:02.231 --> 28:04.120 american people , they were lying 28:04.120 --> 28:06.330 themselves . Um but let me , let me 28:06.330 --> 28:08.552 just offer some perspective of somebody 28:08.552 --> 28:10.950 who's been at this a long time . Um 28:11.340 --> 28:13.340 every other government in the world 28:13.340 --> 28:15.284 knows the United States government 28:15.284 --> 28:18.150 leaks like a sieve and it has for a 28:18.150 --> 28:21.480 long time . And I dragged this up the 28:21.480 --> 28:25.080 other day when I was looking at some of 28:25.080 --> 28:27.290 these prospective releases , there's a 28:27.290 --> 28:30.200 quote from john Adams , how can a 28:30.200 --> 28:32.560 government go on publishing all their 28:32.560 --> 28:34.860 negotiations with foreign nations ? I 28:34.860 --> 28:37.620 know not to me , it appears as 28:37.620 --> 28:40.270 dangerous and pernicious as it is novel . 28:41.440 --> 28:44.230 When we went to real congressional 28:44.230 --> 28:46.063 oversight of intelligence in the 28:46.063 --> 28:49.170 mid-70s , there was a broad view that 28:49.170 --> 28:51.281 no other Foreign Intelligence service 28:51.281 --> 28:53.337 would ever share information with us 28:53.337 --> 28:55.503 again , if we were going to share it , 28:55.503 --> 28:57.614 all of the Congress . The spheres all 28:57.614 --> 29:00.060 proved unfounded . Now , I've heard the 29:00.070 --> 29:03.290 impact of these releases on our foreign 29:03.290 --> 29:07.230 policy described as as a meltdown as 29:07.240 --> 29:10.430 a , as a game changer and so on . I 29:10.430 --> 29:12.770 think I think those descriptions are 29:13.240 --> 29:16.860 fairly significantly overwrought . Um 29:17.440 --> 29:19.551 the fact is governments deal with the 29:19.551 --> 29:21.551 United States because it's in their 29:21.551 --> 29:23.662 interest , not because they like us , 29:23.662 --> 29:25.551 not because they trust us and not 29:25.551 --> 29:27.384 because they believe we can keep 29:27.384 --> 29:30.410 secrets . Many government , some 29:30.410 --> 29:32.521 governments deal with us because they 29:32.521 --> 29:35.220 fear us some because they respect us 29:35.740 --> 29:38.400 most because they need us . We are 29:38.400 --> 29:41.210 still essentially , as has been said 29:41.210 --> 29:44.060 before , the indispensable nation . So 29:44.060 --> 29:46.060 other nations will continue to deal 29:46.060 --> 29:48.116 with us . They will continue to work 29:48.116 --> 29:50.116 with us . We will continue to share 29:50.116 --> 29:52.393 sensitive information with one another . 29:52.940 --> 29:55.310 Is this , is this embarrassing ? Yes . 29:55.320 --> 29:58.970 Is it awkward ? Yes , consequences for 29:58.970 --> 30:01.220 us . Foreign policy . I think fairly 30:01.220 --> 30:03.610 modest . Thank God . Just on that same 30:03.610 --> 30:05.721 subject , did either of you reach out 30:05.721 --> 30:07.666 to any of your counterparts and in 30:07.666 --> 30:09.777 advance of this week and warn them or 30:09.777 --> 30:11.721 even apologize in advance for what 30:11.721 --> 30:15.520 might come out ? I didn't , I did to 30:15.530 --> 30:19.110 General Kiani in Pakistan . Yeah . You 30:19.110 --> 30:21.700 said that . I'm gonna tell you said 30:21.700 --> 30:24.570 that now is the time to do this largely 30:24.570 --> 30:26.792 because of the threat of legal action . 30:26.792 --> 30:29.014 I'm just wondering if that legal action 30:29.014 --> 30:32.520 wasn't looming ? How much you think 30:32.520 --> 30:34.687 that this , this is the right thing to 30:34.687 --> 30:36.687 do now ? And I'm wondering just how 30:36.687 --> 30:40.130 hard you intend to lobby those hill to 30:40.130 --> 30:42.186 get them to sway to the other side ? 30:42.186 --> 30:46.120 Well , yeah , I don't 30:46.120 --> 30:48.064 spend much time thinking about the 30:48.064 --> 30:51.650 world as I wish it were . The reality 30:51.650 --> 30:54.750 is the court issue is out there and in 30:54.750 --> 30:58.470 my view does lend urgency to this . 30:58.940 --> 31:02.680 Um you know , the question has been 31:02.680 --> 31:04.847 raised , well , maybe the courts would 31:04.847 --> 31:06.791 give us time to which my answer is 31:06.791 --> 31:10.060 maybe , maybe not . We just don't know . 31:10.540 --> 31:12.800 But the one path we know gives us the 31:12.800 --> 31:15.070 time and the flexibility to do this is 31:15.070 --> 31:17.292 the legislative path . And I don't know 31:17.292 --> 31:19.403 how fast the courts are going to move 31:19.403 --> 31:21.570 on this . But what we've seen is seems 31:21.570 --> 31:23.459 to be more and more action in the 31:23.459 --> 31:26.690 courts in the last year or two . And 31:26.690 --> 31:28.912 that's what gives me a sense of urgency 31:28.912 --> 31:32.700 about my greatest fear is what almost 31:32.700 --> 31:35.090 happened to us in october and that is 31:35.090 --> 31:37.090 being told to implement a change of 31:37.090 --> 31:40.680 policy overnight . Secretary 31:40.690 --> 31:43.420 uh Senator McCain is now arguing that 31:43.420 --> 31:45.420 this report is the wrong report and 31:45.420 --> 31:47.587 that it won't get to the bottom of how 31:47.587 --> 31:49.587 this could repeal could affect unit 31:49.587 --> 31:51.753 cohesion and morale . I'm wondering if 31:51.753 --> 31:53.587 you were Admiral mullen have any 31:53.587 --> 31:57.060 reaction to that response to the report ? 31:58.240 --> 32:00.640 Well , I think I think that in this 32:00.640 --> 32:03.790 respect and I obviously have a lot of 32:03.790 --> 32:06.790 admiration and respect for Senator 32:06.790 --> 32:09.530 McCain , but in this respect , I think 32:09.530 --> 32:11.419 that he's mistaken . I think this 32:11.419 --> 32:15.050 report does provide a sound basis 32:15.440 --> 32:18.260 for making decisions on this law . Now , 32:18.260 --> 32:20.440 people can draw different conclusions 32:20.440 --> 32:23.670 out of this report . The comments for 32:23.670 --> 32:26.020 example and the evaluation and the 32:26.020 --> 32:29.130 report of the higher levels of concern 32:29.130 --> 32:32.710 for among the combat arms units and the 32:32.710 --> 32:34.970 Marine Corps and so on . So people can 32:34.970 --> 32:37.030 read this and potentially come to 32:37.030 --> 32:39.252 different conclusions . But in terms of 32:39.252 --> 32:41.410 the data And in terms of the views of 32:41.410 --> 32:44.640 the force , it's hard for me to imagine 32:44.650 --> 32:47.640 that you could come up with a more 32:47.640 --> 32:51.180 comprehensive approach . We had , we 32:51.180 --> 32:53.150 had something on the order of 32:53.150 --> 32:55.850 145,000 32:57.140 --> 33:00.760 People in uniform answer the 33:00.770 --> 33:04.140 questionnaire , the survey , we had 33:04.150 --> 33:07.160 something on the order of 40 to 45,000 33:07.160 --> 33:10.980 spouses respond to the syrup to that 33:10.980 --> 33:14.400 survey , tens of thousands of people 33:14.410 --> 33:16.510 reached in other ways . So I think 33:16.510 --> 33:20.400 there is no comparable source of 33:20.400 --> 33:23.130 information or data on attitudes in the 33:23.130 --> 33:27.000 force than this report . And it's hard 33:27.000 --> 33:30.360 for me to imagine another effort 33:30.840 --> 33:33.600 taking a much different approach than 33:33.610 --> 33:36.390 this report did and and its main thrust 33:36.390 --> 33:39.660 was on combat effectiveness , mission 33:39.660 --> 33:42.480 effectiveness readiness , cohesion 33:42.480 --> 33:46.070 etcetera . And the data again argue the 33:46.070 --> 33:48.480 secretary , you can certainly pick 33:48.480 --> 33:51.300 parts of it that that read , you might 33:51.300 --> 33:53.411 want to read differently but the data 33:53.411 --> 33:55.840 is very compelling in particular with 33:55.840 --> 33:57.951 respect to those issues . I mean that 33:57.951 --> 34:01.290 was the main reason for the report . I 34:01.300 --> 34:03.411 wonder if you could talk a little bit 34:03.411 --> 34:05.300 more about how you would see this 34:05.300 --> 34:07.970 implemented and what you mean by giving 34:07.970 --> 34:11.210 time . For example , would you say 34:11.220 --> 34:15.070 not have openly if this law 34:15.070 --> 34:17.770 has changed , would you not put openly 34:17.770 --> 34:19.992 gay service members into units that are 34:19.992 --> 34:22.690 about to deploy to Afghanistan in 2011 34:22.690 --> 34:25.180 or so , Would you , would you take , 34:25.250 --> 34:27.640 would you integrate the non combat arms 34:27.640 --> 34:29.751 units first ? I mean , what could you 34:29.751 --> 34:31.807 describe a little bit more what your 34:31.807 --> 34:33.918 implementation plan would be ? Well , 34:33.918 --> 34:37.520 first of all , um mm the 34:37.530 --> 34:41.530 repeal of the law would not , 34:41.540 --> 34:43.484 as I understand it now , I'm not a 34:43.484 --> 34:45.850 lawyer but as I understand it and maybe 34:45.850 --> 34:47.961 jay johnson can address this question 34:47.961 --> 34:50.017 for you more authoritatively when he 34:50.017 --> 34:52.294 comes up here . But as I understand it , 34:52.294 --> 34:55.960 until we certify , tell the president , 34:56.340 --> 34:58.451 Secretary of defense and the Chairman 34:58.451 --> 35:00.451 of the Joint Chiefs certify that we 35:00.451 --> 35:02.562 that the U . S . Military is ready to 35:02.562 --> 35:06.280 implement the law , the repeal , the 35:06.280 --> 35:09.330 existing currently existing rules would 35:09.330 --> 35:12.670 continue to apply . And so you would 35:12.670 --> 35:15.020 have a period of preparation if you 35:15.020 --> 35:19.000 will . Uh that as I indicated earlier , 35:19.000 --> 35:21.167 I don't know necessarily how long that 35:21.167 --> 35:24.440 would take Julian Julian . From my 35:24.440 --> 35:27.550 perspective , we are one military . We 35:27.550 --> 35:30.670 are one military . Two more questions , 35:31.450 --> 35:33.561 you've spoken quite clearly about how 35:33.561 --> 35:35.783 you support the president's position on 35:35.783 --> 35:37.894 this and how you're urging the Senate 35:37.894 --> 35:40.117 to act and how this needs to be done in 35:40.117 --> 35:42.228 an orderly and measured way . But you 35:42.228 --> 35:44.228 haven't seen so much overtime about 35:44.228 --> 35:46.172 your personal beliefs on don't ask 35:46.172 --> 35:48.339 don't tell do you feel personally that 35:48.339 --> 35:50.506 it's been unjust or wrong for gays and 35:50.506 --> 35:52.450 not be able to serve their country 35:52.450 --> 35:54.617 openly or are you comfortable with the 35:54.617 --> 35:56.950 idea of openly integrating the military ? 35:57.540 --> 36:00.950 I think that in my 36:02.930 --> 36:06.320 yeah , one of the things that is most 36:06.320 --> 36:09.360 important to me , his personal 36:09.360 --> 36:12.550 integrity and 36:13.830 --> 36:16.550 and a hey 36:17.030 --> 36:20.240 policy or a law that 36:21.520 --> 36:24.740 in effect requires people to lie . Mhm 36:25.130 --> 36:28.850 gives me , gives me a problem . Um 36:29.530 --> 36:33.110 and so I think it's , I mean we spend a 36:33.110 --> 36:35.910 lot of time in the military talking 36:35.910 --> 36:38.960 about integrity and honor uh 36:39.730 --> 36:43.470 and values , I am telling the 36:43.470 --> 36:46.220 truth is a pretty important value in 36:46.220 --> 36:48.430 that scale . It's a very important 36:48.430 --> 36:50.250 value . And so for me , 36:51.880 --> 36:54.330 and I thought the Admiral was that 36:54.330 --> 36:56.330 Admiral mullen was eloquent on this 36:56.330 --> 36:58.980 last february . A policy that requires 36:58.980 --> 37:02.790 people to lie about themselves somehow , 37:02.790 --> 37:04.901 it seems to me fundamentally flawed . 37:05.330 --> 37:08.160 Last question . Earlier in the process , 37:08.170 --> 37:10.340 General Conway , when raising concerns 37:10.340 --> 37:12.640 about this , close the idea of separate 37:12.650 --> 37:14.650 barracks and said that , you know , 37:14.650 --> 37:16.483 marines might not be comfortable 37:16.483 --> 37:18.817 sharing barracks with openly gay troops . 37:18.817 --> 37:20.872 Is that even on the table or is that 37:20.872 --> 37:22.928 with the idea of separate barracks , 37:22.928 --> 37:25.039 separate housing , separate showers , 37:25.039 --> 37:27.206 just so we can get into the details of 37:27.206 --> 37:29.372 that ? Or you can with jay and general 37:29.372 --> 37:31.594 ham . But the bottom line of the report 37:31.594 --> 37:34.830 is no separate facilities . Thank 37:34.830 --> 37:37.950 you . Mhm