Ready or Not? Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Abstract

Abstract : Throughout his presidential campaign and again as recently as the 2010 State of the Union address, Pres. Barack Obama reinforced his commitment to lift the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the US military. Although he cannot lift the ban on his own--only the legislative branch has that authority--the president's clear stance and the Democratic Party's majority in Congress point to a repeal of the Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy in the nearer term. In fact, a bill has already been introduced, and some Democrats in Congress are posturing to include a repeal in their versions of the defense authorization bill this year. Moreover, in congressional testimony, Adm Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), stated that it was his personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. These facts make a repeal of DADT more likely than not--therefore, the Department of Defense (DOD) should begin preparing now to manage prospective impacts to its forces. The US military, with its ban on the open display of homosexuality, stands with 11 other countries, but this list does not include countries where homosexuality is banned outright, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and several other nations in the Middle East. However, other key allies, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Israel, have already lifted the ban on homosexuals serving in their militaries. In fact, 24 foreign militaries now have no ban on gay service members, and many of these allies provide support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. These combat-tested fighting forces are critical partners in the American defense strategy and can provide insight to the United States as it prepares for its own policy change regarding homosexuals.