Source:
APStudy: Military gays don't undermine unit cohesion By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
1 minute ago
WASHINGTON - Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.
The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton's policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation.
"Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion," the officers states.
To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080708/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_gays;_ylt=AkWptYBZqptq4wmIOliGuAgD5gcF
:applause:
New Report by Senior Military Leaders Urges End to Gay Ban
Amidst Inaction by Politicians, Former Pentagon Brass Call for RepealDate: 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
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.”
more:
http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/new_report_by_senior_military_leaders_urges_end_to_gay_banpdf links:
http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/FlagOfficersBooklet0408spreads.pdfSTATEMENT OF GENERALS AND ADMIRALS:
We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Those of us signing this
letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they
wish. As General Colin Powell, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said when the "don't ask,
don't tell" policy was enacted, it is not the place of the military or those in senior leadership to
make moral judgments.
Scholarly data shows there are approximately one million gay and lesbian veterans in the United
States today, as well as 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in our armed forces. They
have served our nation honorably.
We support the recent comments of another former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General John
Shalikashvili, who has concluded that repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would not harm,
and would indeed help our armed forces. As is the case in Britain, Israel, and other nations which
allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are professionals who are able to
work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality. Such
collaboration reflects the strength and the best traditions of our democracy.
names of the 52 at the pdf link:
http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/StatementofGeneralsandAdmirals<1>.pdf
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