USAFA Reports on Faculty Input to Palm Center DADT Report

Continuing the theme of publicizing the praises of DADT repeal, the US Air Force Academy noted some of its professors contributed to the Palm Center report — and they had nothing but good things to say.

Col. Gary Packard Jr., the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department head, and Dr. Steven Samuels, a professor in the same department, are two of four service academy instructors who contributed to the study, which found that repealing DADT had no effect on recruiting, retention or readiness…

Dr. Dave Levy, a professor with the Management Department, also contributed to the study.

(Levy is also co-authoring another article on “the rise and fall of DADT.”)  The article bluntly states:

The available data soundly disproves statements by retired flag officers that repeal would “undermine recruiting and retention … and eventually break the all-volunteer force.”

As previously noted in the discussion on the Palm Center report, the “available data” isn’t what people think it is.  While it sounds “exhaustive,” it is little more than a few interviews and dated recruiting data.  To say it “soundly” does anything beyond supporting the agenda of its authors is ludicrous.

More interesting, however, was this quote:

The study acknowledges that some people’s morale dropped because they don’t agree with the change but notes that the positive effect on morale of gay, lesbian and bisexual service members balanced it out.

The report doesn’t actually phrase it as “balancing out,” though it could be read that way.

Who knew that granting amnesty to 2% could “balance out” the negative effect on the 30% who disagreed?