In an op-ed in Tuesday's New York Times, Shalikashvili writes that it is likely that Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy will be part of a larger discussion of President Bush's goal of increasing the size of the military. Discussions around the policy's repeal must "also consider the evidence that has emerged over the last 14 years," he wrote.

In the column Shalikashvili shares his experiences in meeting with lesbian and gay members of the military, including an out senior sailor on a nuclear submarine. Is was these meetings, he explains, that showed him "just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers."

Shalikashvili supported the ban when it was instituted in 1993, during his tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1997, in response to a report by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network around the problems of enforcing Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the fact that woman were discharged disproportionately to men, the Advocate reported that Shalikashvili said "if the allegations in the study are in fact correct, that's an aberration that must be corrected." The then-Chairman added that the policy was supposed "to make life more tolerable and to be more inclusive than exclusive."

In his column, Shalikashvili cites a recent Zogby poll in which 73% of military members expressed acceptance of out lesbian and gay servicemembers in their units. PageOneQ Reported on the poll on December 19 (See: 73% of US Military is OK with gays serving openly).

The 2006 poll represents a dramatic change from 1993, when 13% percent of service members said they supported the right of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

Excerpts from the New York Times registration required article follow…

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When I was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I supported the current policy because I believed that implementing a change in the rules at that time would have been too burdensome for our troops and commanders. I still believe that to have been true. The concern among many in the military was that given the longstanding view that homosexuality was incompatible with service, letting people who were openly gay serve would lower morale, harm recruitment and undermine unit cohesion.

Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and marines, including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an openly gay senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of a nuclear submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers.

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I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.