Amidst Inaction by Politicians, Former Pentagon Brass Call for Repeal
Date: July 7, 2008
Press Contact: Nathaniel Frank, Senior Research Fellow, The Palm Center, University of California, Santa Barbara, 805-893-5664, frank@palmcenter.ucsb.edu
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SANTA BARBARA, CA, July 7, 2008 - A new study released today by a team of retired senior flag and general officers from the U.S. military has concluded that the ban on openly gay service members is counterproductive and should end, the Associated Press is reporting today. The nonpartisan study group has a combined century and a half of military service from all four branches of the military, and it marks the first time a Marine Corps general has ever called publicly for an end to the gay ban. "I believe this should have been done much earlier," said Brigadier General Hugh Aitken, USMC (Ret.), one of the authors of the report.
The Palm Center, a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, commissioned the new report. The officers reached their findings independently and required a written pledge that the Center would publish their recommendations regardless of the political implications, and would not seek to influence conclusions. The report includes ten findings and four recommendations. Key findings are that the policy prevents some gay troops from performing their duties, that gays already serve openly, that tolerance of homosexuality in the military has grown dramatically, and that lifting the ban is “unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline, or cohesion.”
General John Shalikashvili, the former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who previously favored the gay ban but reversed course last year in an op-ed in the New York Times, endorsed the officers’ new study, calling it “one of the most comprehensive evaluations of the issue of gays in the military since the Rand study fifteen years ago” and saying it “ought to be given serious consideration by both Congress and the Joint Chiefs.”
Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, said that "retired officers have surpassed lawmakers in calling for repeal of the current policy," which allows gays and lesbians to serve only if they conceal their sexual orientation. “What’s standing in the way of repeal is politics." Belkin said that Democrats, in particular, have taken criticism recently for inaction on repeal, despite a sizable number of them taking public positions in favor of ending the gay ban. He pointed to a group of 52 retired U.S. generals and admirals and a former secretary of the army that signed a statement calling for repeal of the law that locks the military into its current policy. Ending that policy, said the statement “would not harm, and would indeed help, our armed forces.”
The new report is based on discussions the senior flag and general officers held with expert panels in Washington, D.C. over the past year. The group heard from military members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, scholarly experts on military personnel policy, former senior members of the Clinton administration who played central roles in formulating “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 1993, and a senior Pentagon official from the Bush administration whose primary responsibility was military personnel policy. In addition, prominent opponents of letting open gays serve in the military, including Elaine Donnelly, Robert Maginnis, and the late Charles Moskos, were invited to appear in person, submit written testimony, and/or testify via conference call.
Rhonda Davis, a former Petty Officer in the Navy, testified about her desire to enlist and her memories of serving 12 years in the Navy as a radioman and a broadcaster. She told the group, “I would be in the Navy today if I hadn’t been discharged under the 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy.” Davis outlined her experience of serving openly yet she also described the toll of living with the fear and stress that anyone at any moment could derail her career. “Nothing a gay service member tells his doctor, mental health professional, or chaplain is private, and anyone can turn you in at any time and start an investigation.”
Republicans and Democrats have generally been divided in their positions on openly gay service, with Sen. John McCain opposing it while Democratic leadership favors it. Although Sen. Barack Obama has come out in support of repeal, he said in a recent interview that he couldn’t promise to be out in front on this issue, but could “reasonably see” an end to the current policy if he becomes president. Despite partisan differences, over 140 lawmakers in Congress have signed onto a bill to repeal the current policy, including a number of Republicans.
Belkin said that today's report could renew interest by Congress in taking action on gays in the military. Congresswoman Lois Capps, Democrat of California and Vice Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus in Congress said "This report represents important voices in the chorus of Americans calling for a repeal of this outdated and unsuccessful policy. Our military is stronger and our country safer when all of our soldiers serve without fear of discharge simply for being who they are."
In June, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for bringing together “a cross section of people who understand the military and are committed to nondiscrimination in our country” to review “don't ask, don't tell.” Rep. Susan Davis, Democrat of California, has said she will hold hearings on the issue before the end of year.
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The Palm Center is a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Center uses rigorous social science to inform public discussions of controversial social issues, enabling policy outcomes to be informed more by evidence than by emotion. Its data-driven approach is premised on the notion that the public makes wise choices on social issues when high-quality information is available. For more information, visit www.palmcenter.ucsb.edu.