McHugh stance to be questioned

WASHINGTON — Rarely one to talk much about the military's policy on gays, Rep. John M. McHugh is predictably mum on the issue in advance of his confirmation hearing for Army secretary.

But signs are growing that he will be asked to address it when he faces senators, probably around mid-July.

The latest calls for change to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came Wednesday from analysts at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning group that urged President Obama to move faster on repealing it.

"It's a matter of military readiness," said Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and an undersecretary of defense during the Reagan administration.

"The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be. You'll lose the momentum," Mr. Korb said.

The policy, which bars gay service members from discussing their sexual orientation and bars the military from asking about it, was a compromise worked out when President Bill Clinton was unable to completely remove the Pentagon's ban on gays in the military.

Many analysts, including some who say the ban should be more strict, say the policy has failed. President Obama promised during the presidential campaign to end the ban and let openly gay people serve.

Since the policy took effect, about 13,000 people have been forced out of the military because of their sexual preference, the government reported. But as many as 4,000 may be leaving every year without discussing their orientation, because they are uncomfortable with the pressures the policy puts on them, Mr. Korb said.

As many as 40,000 people a year decide not to join the military because of the policy, Mr. Korb said, citing a study from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Estimates of the cost of replacing lost service members vary. For every recruit who signs on and ultimately stays with the military — in effect replacing the lost gay member — the Pentagon probably spends more than $10,000, he said.

The Center for American Progress outlined the path it believes Mr. Obama should take toward undoing the policy, beginning with introducing legislation and establishing a panel to recommend how to implement the change. Then, Mr. Korb said, the administration needs to follow up with military leaders to make sure the changes are being made; the department did not begin to fully integrate blacks into the force until 1954, six years after President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a directive ordering it to do so, he said.

Mr. McHugh, who will be the top civilian leader at the Army if confirmed, had no comment Wednesday. On policy matters generally, he is awaiting his confirmation hearing before commenting, said his press secretary, Stephanie Valle.

The congressman might seem an unlikely advocate for either side of the argument, given his scarcity of public comment about it during the past few years. But as chairman and then ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, he has more experience on military personnel policies than most of his congressional colleagues.

At the most recent congressional hearing on the issue, last July, Mr. McHugh stayed mainly on the sidelines while colleagues tore into the policy. His only complaint was that the Defense Department had declined to send any witnesses to testify, leaving the talking to interest groups. And he asked how a new policy might be implemented.

Mr. McHugh was a new member of Congress when the policy was implemented. In January 1993, his first month in office, Mr. McHugh joined a letter to President Clinton urging a delay in repealing the policy, to allow Congress to study the issue before allowing gays to serve.

At the time, he told the Watertown Daily Times the military "is not a microcosm of society. It is designed to fight wars." He added, "I tend to agree this policy (on gays) would really jeopardize the mission of the military," especially with regard to training and discipline.

That October, he voted to ease the ban slightly, but he also voted to let the Defense Department ask recruits about their sexual orientation.