An essay in the October issue of Joint Force Quarterly, a scholarly journal published for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, argues that the ban on homosexuals to openly serve in the military, colloquially referred to as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), be lifted and calls for actions to be taken and policy made to integrate homosexuals in the military.
| “It is not time for the [Obama] administration to reexamine the issue; rather, it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban,” writes Colonel Om Prakash.
In his essay, “The Efficacy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” Prakash criticizes the primary premise of DADT, that homosexuality will disrupt unit cohesion and impact combat effectiveness. “There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly,” Prakash states. There is sufficient empirical evidence from foreign militaries to anticipate that incorporating homosexuals will introduce leadership challenges, but the challenges will not be insurmountable or affect unit cohesion and combat effectiveness.” Legislation to overturn the ban, H.R. 1283, Military Readiness Enhancement Act, has been introduced in the House of Reps. by Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy (D-PA), but no similar bill yet exists in the Senate. Murphy is lobbying for a hearing sometime this year or early next year. The bill has 176 cosponsors according to Govtrack.us. Earlier this month data was obtained by Servicemembers United, a advocacy group for gay and lesbian troops and veterans, showing that while ethnic minorities make up approximately 29% of those serving in the armed forces they account for 45% of the total number of DADT firings (619) in the last financial year (FY08). DADT has cost the nation over $363 million over the first ten years of DADT, according to a revised GAO figure based on a February 2005 report.
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An essay in the October issue of Joint Force Quarterly, a scholarly journal published for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, argues that the ban on homosexuals to openly serve in the military, colloquially referred to as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), be lifted and calls for actions to be taken and policy made to integrate homosexuals in the military.
| “It is not time for the [Obama] administration to reexamine the issue; rather, it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban,” writes Colonel Om Prakash.
In his essay, “The Efficacy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” Prakash criticizes the primary premise of DADT, that homosexuality will disrupt unit cohesion and impact combat effectiveness. “There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly,” Prakash states. There is sufficient empirical evidence from foreign militaries to anticipate that incorporating homosexuals will introduce leadership challenges, but the challenges will not be insurmountable or affect unit cohesion and combat effectiveness.” Legislation to overturn the ban, H.R. 1283, Military Readiness Enhancement Act, has been introduced in the House of Reps. by Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy (D-PA), but no similar bill yet exists in the Senate. Murphy is lobbying for a hearing sometime this year or early next year. The bill has 176 cosponsors according to Govtrack.us. Earlier this month data was obtained by Servicemembers United, a advocacy group for gay and lesbian troops and veterans, showing that while ethnic minorities make up approximately 29% of those serving in the armed forces they account for 45% of the total number of DADT firings (619) in the last financial year (FY08). DADT has cost the nation over $363 million over the first ten years of DADT, according to a revised GAO figure based on a February 2005 report.
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