The US army's top-ranking officer said on Tuesday he had "serious concerns" about lifting the ban on gays serving openly in the American military as proposed by President Barack Obama.
US Army chief of staff General George Casey said he supported plans for a year-long review of the issue but stopped short of openly rejecting a repeal of the law, which requires gay service members to keep quiet about their sexual orientation or face expulsion from the military.
"I do have serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that's fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for eight-and-a-half years," Casey told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
His comments contrasted with an ardent appeal this month to end the ban from the chairman of the US Joints Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and reflected divisions over the issue among senior military officers.
During the hearing, Senator Joe Lieberman indicated that Casey had mixed feelings on the subject.
"I know when we talked about this a while back, General Casey, I thought I understood you to say that you had some questions about a repeal, but that you were not taking a hard position either for or against at this point," Lieberman said.
"Senator, I think that's fair," Casey said.
Obama last month renewed his vow to change the law -- known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- and allow gays to serve openly in uniform.
Some of Obama's fellow Democrats in Congress favor introducing a moratorium on further dismissals under the law while the policy review is carried out.
But Casey said he opposed such a move, saying that "this process is going to be difficult and complicated enough."
"Anything that complicates it more, I think I would be opposed to," he said.
Polls have shown support for lifting the ban steadily rising among Americans since the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule was adopted in 1993.
Copyright 2010 AFP American Edition
