Today, President Obama signed the certification from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the military is ready to move forward on implementation of the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, who led the repeal effort in the Senate, released this statement.
“America is now one giant step closer to joining at least 28 of our closest allies in welcoming the service of any qualified individual who is willing and capable of serving our country. I am delighted to have helped lead the effort to begin repeal of this law because it is the right thing to do for our military and for our country.”
In May 2010, Senator Collins was the only Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee to vote to include repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the Defense Authorization bill. In December, she was the only Republican in the Senate to vote to proceed to the Defense Authorization bill which included repeal language, however, that bill failed. Senators Collins and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) then introduced the standalone bill which passed the Senate on December 18, 2010 by a vote of 65-31. President Obama, who called Senator Collins to thank her for her leadership on this issue, then signed the bill into law.