|
 |
Gays in the U.S. Military
As part of a combat readiness campaign, officials this week authorized U.S.
service secretaries to issue "stop-loss" orders, which would freeze all
military discharges, including those based on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
policy. The policy, enacted in 1993 as an adjustment to the prior outright
ban on gays in the military, allows the military to discharge service
members who identify themselves as homosexuals.
The "stop-loss" orders call into question the fundamental argument against
gays in the military, which is that allowing homosexuals to operate in the
military will erode combat readiness by undermining the cohesion and
well-being of the force. The last time the previous gay ban was suspended
was in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War, when the first Bush administration
issued a stop-loss order through then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney.
The service secretaries are expected to make a decision in the near future.
|
|
|
|
