Giving Obama Cover on Don't Ask Don't Tell

by: Adam Bink

Thu Oct 01, 2009 at 10:45

In an essay in Joint Force Quarterly that was reviewed before publication by the office of Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an Air Force colonel, Om Prakash, writes that "after a careful examination, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly."

Although the article carries no weight as a matter of policy, it may well signal a shift in the official winds. It won the 2009 Secretary of Defense National Security Essay competition.

Colonel Prakash, who researched the issue while a student at National Defense University in Washington and who is now working in the office of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, concludes that "it is not time for the administration to re-examine the issue." Instead, he writes, "it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban."

I don't know much about the military infrastructure or publications like Joint Force Quarterly, except that it is an official publiciation of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen, and as the article says, was reviewed for publication. It certainly shouldn't be treated as a massive breakthrough of an endorsement, but probably shouldn't be taken lightly either. The entire article can be found here, and reads like an Atlantic or NYTimes magazine piece. The author effectively lays out sound rationale with a very scholarly manner of argument.

However we get to a repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, I think one step is to give Obama cover to point to as many current and former members of the military as possible- both straight and gay, Gen. Shalikashvili and Anthony Woods alike- and say, "the military supports this." This is one good step in that direction.

Update: Also out today, Harry Reid sent letters last week to Obama and Gates calling for repeal and asking Obama to outline the administration's views.