Army chief: Gays may serve as long as military able to fight

WASHINGTON - The top commanding general in Iraq says he thinks everyone, gay and straight, should be allowed to serve in the military "as long as we are still able to fight our wars."

The comment by Gen. Raymond Odierno is among the first to come from a senior military leader currently leading troops in battle since the Pentagon announced earlier this month that it will study the issue. Odierno helped lead a troop buildup in Iraq that reduced violence and has paved the way for a planned reduction of U.S. forces.

Odierno told reporters yesterday that he hadn't had much time to think about whether gays should be allowed to serve openly. He said the policy of "don't ask, don't tell" has been a "nonissue" to him.

Testimony on Capitol Hill this week from the military's top uniformed officers will be crucial to the debate in Congress on whether to repeal the 17-year-old law, which bans gays from serving openly in the military.

But lawmakers, who are divided on whether to end the ban, say they want to hear from the service chiefs.

The Army's Gen. George Casey and the Air Force's Gen. Norton Schwartz are to testify Tuesday, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway Wednesday.