Moments ago, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) joined Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) in announcing that she would vote to proceed to the National Defense Authorization Act — the legislation that contains Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal — under an open amendment process. Collins added that she would vote for the legislation “once the tax issue is resolved.” Brown did not overtly attach any conditions to his vote, stating simply, “I accept the findings of the report and support repeal based on the Secretary’s recommendations that repeal will be implemented only when the battle effectiveness of the forces is assured and proper preparations have been completed.”

During the second day of hearings, the Service Chiefs disagreed on whether to proceed with immediate repeal during a time of war, but all concurred their respective branches could implement repeal and that Congress should act to prevent the court from ordering the military to lift the ban without a proper implementation process. The Service Chiefs also hinted that they could support eventual repeal and said they trusted Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to consider their views before ordering the Armed Forces to lift the ban.

Below are highlights from today’s hearings:

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signaled that he would disregard the opinion of the military leadership and suggested “he could move to prevent floor debate on the 2011 defense authorization bill, which contains the repeal provision.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has not yet announced how he intends to proceed with the measure or if he’ll bring the bill to the floor under an open amendment process.

This morning, the Service Chiefs presented a difference in opinion about their views on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the lame duck session of Congress, but all four suggested that they feared that the courts could strike down the ban and force the Armed Forces to implement repeal without adequate preparation. The Chiefs implied that they supported repeal eventually, but had concerns about lifting the ban during a time of war.

Picking up on this argument, Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) — a strong proponent of repeal — said that the amendment included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) offered the perfect compromise: the certification process provides the military with the flexibility not to implement repeal right away, while undermining the possibility that the courts would force the Armed Forces to act quickly. Every Service Chief agreed that they were comfortable that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates would take their concerns into consideration before certifying repeal and admitted that they could effectively implement the policy change.

Watch it:

Yesterday, Gates said that “until the Service Chiefs are comfortable that the risks to unit cohesion and combat effectiveness of a change have been addressed to their satisfaction and to my satisfaction, I would not sign the certification.”

The experiences of the 25 nations that allow open service suggest that the Chiefs’ concerns about lifting the ban are overstated. As the Palm Center has pointed out, “in many of those countries, debate before the policy changes was highly pitched and many people both inside and outside the military predicted major disruptions.” In Britain and Canada, for instance, “roughly two thirds of military respondents in polls said they would refuse to serve with open gays, but when inclusive policies were implemented, no more than three people in each country actually resigned.” “Research has uniformly shown that transitions to policies of equal treatment without regard to sexual orientation have been highly successful and have had no negative impact on morale, recruitment, retention, readiness or overall combat effectiveness.” Read their full report HERE.

This morning, the four Service Chiefs and General James Cartwright — the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee about the consequences of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Significantly, three of the witnesses — and two of the Service Chiefs — endorsed the Pentagon Working Group’s recommendation to lift the ban. Two others had mixed reactions and only one, Gen. James Amos, the new commandant of the Marine Corps, said he would oppose repeal. All the Chiefs testified that they would be able to implement repeal effectively, if so ordered. The repeal amendment also certifies that the policy would not be lifted until the President, the Secretary of Defense, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, certify that the action would not undermine military order. Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates testified that he would not certify repeal until all of the risks were mitigated.

The Service Chiefs echoed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ concern that a court ruling would not provide the Armed Forces with sufficient time to implement a change and urged Congress to deal with the policy legislatively. They also endorsed the the work and process of the Working Group, dealing a significant rebuke to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who during yesterday’s hearings argued that the study should have conducted a referendum on the question of lifting the ban.