Via Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade, we learn that Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin has scheduled two days of hearings on the Pentagon’s DADT report:
For the Dec. 2 hearing, the witnesses are set to include Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen as well as the co-chairs of the Pentagon working group: Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon’s general counsel, and Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe.
In February testimony before the committee, Mullen has said he supports allowing openly gay people to serve in the U.S. military. Gates has already told reporters that he wants Congress to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
On Dec. 3, the committee is set to hear testimony from Vice-Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright and the military service chiefs: Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey; Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead; Marine Corps Gen. James Amos; and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz.
Chris also spoke to Alex Nicholson from Servicemembers United who remains concerned about the timing:
“We’re in a period now where literally every day counts,” Nicholson said. “If they’re holding hearings on Friday, that, I think, runs the risk of bumping off the motion to reconsider until Monday of the following week, which would be a strain on the calendar.”
Because of the previous failures to pass the Defense Authorization legislation, the calendar is now our biggest enemy — and the opponents of DADT repeal, led by John McCain, will try to. use the calendar to their advantage.
