Tag Archives: tom kolditz

US Military Downplays Impact of DADT Repeal

While Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey is “worried” about the politicization of the US military, the Department of Defense has published some starkly pointed articles praising the repeal of the politically-charged policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

This largely mirrors the narrative in the mainstream press — everybody is “cool” with homosexuals serving in the US military (and think of the children…).  Amazingly, little attention is given to the voices saying its not as rose-colored as some seem to think.  The Stars and Stripes pointed out one negative finding otherwise unreported in the press.  Elaine Donnelly got a single line.  Only the FRC has noted the Palm Center buried their own data showing 20% of units that had a homosexual “come out” after repeal had a negative impact as a result — data that is hardly a “non-event.”

In “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Never Mattered,” a US Marine Corporal took to the Read more

First Post-DADT Study Shows No Negative Impact

The Palm Center, an activist group that advocated for repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” has publicized a “study” (PDF) it conducted that purports to put to bed claims that open service by homosexuals in the US military will ever be anything other than a “non-event,” based on an analysis of the “one-year mark.”

The first academic study of the effects of repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) has found that the new policy of open service has had no overall negative impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, recruitment, retention or morale…

While the story is being repeated in a couple of places, it seems few have actually read the report.  For example, the “academic study” is based on the following samples:

  • 11 interviews with Generals who opposed repeal
  • 1 interview with a “public opponent” of repeal  Read more