In December, the lame duck session of Congress coming to grips with their sudden and looming loss of power to ram destructive laws down our throats passed a repeal of the law popularly known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But, repeal wasn’t automatic.
In order for repeal to become effective, the president, the Secretary of Defense, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must certify that changing it will not hurt the armed services’ readiness, morale or cohesion. A few weeks ago, Pentagon officials told a House subcommittee that training for implementation of repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ( DADT ) has gone “extremely well so far” and that certification to Congress might come by mid-summer.
Here’s the problem: the “training” has nothing to do with certifying that the repeal will not hurt the armed services’ readiness, morale or cohesion. There are no polls being conducted. Troops aren’t being included in focus groups. Units aren’t being asked to include evidence to support or refute the effects of repeal. Nothing. Instead, troops are being trained to “just accept it.”
The briefing being given to troops has two stated purposes: inform about repeal and its effects and NOT to change beliefs. It lists 10 guiding principles:
1. Leadership matter most
2. Standard of conduct apply to everyone regardless of sexual orientation
3. Treat each other with dignity and respect
4. Application of our rules and policies must be sexual orientation neutral
5. Emphasize our role as professional soldiers
6. Keep it simple
7. There is no expectation to change religious or moral views
8. Good order and discipline will be maintained at all times
9. Chaplains have both the right to serve and conduct religious services according to their faith, and a duty to perform or provide religious support
10. Stay focused on your mission
A report in Yahoo! News today highlights the fact that troops are being to basically fall in line. There is no training or focus on meeting the intent of repeal in determining how it will affect the military. All three tiers of DADT Repeal Training focus on the facts of what repeal means and doesn’t ever touch on the effects of readiness, morale or cohesion as required by the bill signed into law.
Units are required to report weekly on their progress in training troops on the new policy. No attempts are made to report on possible effects as far as I can tell. The pressure on units is to report numbers, not effects. The goal seems to be just training 100% of the force as quickly as possible. Commanders and trainers are kept to strict script and advised not to deviate from it. How can effects on readiness, morale or cohesion be measured and accurately reported to Congress if they aren’t being asked?
As a Soldier, we do what we’re told. I will enforce all laws, regulations, and policies affecting my service as all good professionals do, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter. My concern is that Congress and the American people are getting whitewashed on the effects of repeal.
According to the Yahoo! article:
The Marines expect to finish training on the new policy by June 1, Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, testified in Congress earlier this month.
Amos testified last year that permitting gays to openly serve could disrupt smaller combat units and distract leaders from preparing for battle. When he appeared this month before the House Armed Services Committee, he said he had been looking for problems that might arise under the new policy and hadn’t found any “recalcitrant pushback.”
“There has not been the anxiety over it from the forces in the field,” he said.
I respectfully disagree. There IS anxiety. The problem is that it isn’t being measured or discussed. There is a HUGE rift between the troops on the ground and their leaders in the Pentagon that think everything is just hunky dory.