CMC pledges discipline after DADT repeal - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

CMC pledges discipline after DADT repeal

With the Senate clearing the way for repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Corps’ top officer said Marines will “step out smartly to faithfully implement the new policy.”

“Above all else, we are loyal to the Constitution, our Commander in Chief, Congress, our Chain of Command, and the American people,” said Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, in a prepared statement released Sunday.

His comment came one day after the Senate voted 65-31 to pass the bill, which would end the ban on gays serving openly. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into the law this week.

How the military will implement a change in policy, and how long that will take, remains unclear. Senior Pentagon officials have said the policy could be rolled out incrementally, service by service or unit by unit.

In a statement issued immediately after the vote, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he will begin the certification process immediately. But any change in policy won’t come until after careful consultation with military service chiefs and combatant commanders, he said.

In the months leading up to this vote, Amos repeatedly told Marines and the media that repealing the policy in a time of war could pose a “risk” and “distraction” to the force. But he also said Marines would follow the order given.

In Sunday’s statement, Amos said:

“As stated during my testimony before Congress in September and again during hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month, the Marine Corps will step out smartly to faithfully implement this new policy. I, and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, will personally lead this effort, thus ensuring the respect and dignity due all Marines.

“On this matter, we look forward to further demonstrating to the American people the discipline and loyalty that have been the hallmark of the United States Marine Corps for over 235 years.”

Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen has spoken in favor of repeal and had positive words to say following the Senate vote.

“No longer will able men and women who want to serve and sacrifice for their country have to sacrifice their integrity to do so,” he said. “We will be a better military as a result.”