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Mullen: Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Right Thing to Do"

By Brian Montopoli / CBS News

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that he supports ending the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which bans gays from serving openly in the military.

"Mr. Chairman, speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal and professional belief that allowing homosexuals to serve openly would be the right thing to do," Mullen said. "No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."

"I also believe the great young men and women of our military can and would accommodate such a change," he continued. "I never underestimate their ability to adapt."

Mullen went on to acknowledge that he does "not know this for a fact, nor do I know for a fact how we would best make such a major policy change in a time of two wars."

"That there will be some disruption in the force I cannot deny," he continued. "That there will be legal, social and perhaps even infrastructure changes to be made certainly seem plausible. We would all like to have a better handle on these types of concerns. And that is what our review will offer."

The review referenced by Mullen is a working group announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates tasked with "thoroughly, methodically and objectively" examining the impact of ending the policy.

Though President Obama said in his State of the Union address last week he wants to work with Congress and the military to end the policy "this year," the working group is not required to finish its review until the end of 2010, which makes a repeal this year unlikely.

In addition, it is unclear that Congress will pass legislation to repeal the policy. There do not appear to be sufficient votes in either the House or Senate to pass a repeal at this time, and likely Republican gains in the November midterm elections could further complicate the path to passage.