I've been keeping an eye on the latest developments regarding Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal. It's become clear that the most interesting questions are no longer concerning repeal and whether it will happen, but what the implementation will look like, and you can tell that by the signals being given. At today's Armed Services hearings, Sec. Gates is expected to name two advisers- one civilian, one military- to advise the Administration on steps to implement repeal, and according to the WaPo, planning alone is expected to take up to a year. He is also expected to announce the "Obama rule" on third-party discharges, about which the Palm Center says the devil is in the details:
The Palm Center has announced that President Obama's executive changes to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, expected to be announced Tuesday, could significantly impact the lives of gay troops. The expected statements from Defense Secretary Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen would protect some service members from investigations based on third-party allegations and set a new standard for what constitutes reliable sources and credible information that trigger a "don't ask, don't tell" investigation. It is also expected that the military brass will announce changes to the adjudication of potential discharges, whose effect could be to require a flag officer to sign off on any discharge for it to move forward.
"This 'Obama Rule' could provide a new standard for 'don't ask, don't tell' investigations," said Dr. Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center. "Depending on how it's implemented, the executive action taken by the President could be seismic. 'Don't ask, don't tell' has rested on the belief that the presence of openly gay service members is always bad for the military. The new Obama Rule would mean a shift in the military's focus toward keeping gay troops, reflecting the military's belief that they are as essential as their heterosexual peers."
Belkin also said the effectiveness of the changes would depend on what message was sent by top civilian and uniformed leaders to the officers responsible for approving discharges. "If new discretion is being granted to two-stars, then the actual impact of the Obama rule will hinge on whether the President, the Defense Secretary, and the Service Chiefs send a clear signal that discharges are to be minimized," Belkin said.
Recent media reports have suggested the Pentagon leadership may promote a lengthy process of implementation that would unfold over several years, a prospect that Palm Center experts found problematic. Dr. Nathaniel Frank, Senior Research Fellow at the Palm Center and author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America," said the impact of the expected announcement would depend on an operational timeline that emphasizes strong leadership and swift implementation.
Meanwhile, Sen. Levin, who is chairing the hearings, has an op-ed out calling for caution and deliberation in any repeal effort.
There are a whole number of ways this could be done. It could be swift implementation overnight, or the Administration could slow-walk it with a 15-year plan, complete with segregated showers and pilot programs of integrated units. Or there could be another "compromise". Later this week I'm going to be exploring what the range of possibilities and what an ideal implementation would look like. We still have a ways to go in terms of making sure the votes are there for repeal, but a new front is opening up on how and when repeal will be implemented- an effort which is also critical to keep an eye on.
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