Gates tells Congress not to take action on DADT
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (unelected and unaccountable) has asked Congress (elected and accountable) not to take action on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT).
In a strongly worded letter, obtained by The Associated Press, Gates told a House committee on Friday that forcing policy changes on the military before it’s ready “would send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, concerns and perspectives do not matter.”
I would like to think that this means DADT isn’t going anywhere, but I guarantee that Gates is just stalling until an undefeatable PR campaign is rolled out in true Alinksy fashion – where opponents are instantly and inescapably marginalized as bigots.
Gates says he supports lifting the ban but first wants to survey the troops on how it should be done.
Notice: not whether it should be done, but how it should be done. None of the actively-serving members of the military that I know want DADT repealed. Why does he think the opponents will all of a sudden be “ready?”
In: Military · Tagged with: Don't Ask Don't Tell
Military Roundup
Photo of the Day: Spring Training for Leap Frogs
Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeatedly threatens to join the Taliban
North Korea has threatened to stop returning remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War. JPAC informs me that currently 8,034 Americans are listed as missing from the conflict.
This week in U.S. military history
SEAL 3 Update: Falsification charges have been dropped against two SEALs accused of mistreating an al Qaeda detainee in Iraq.
DADT Update: The Marine Corps Commandant says if Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is repealed, he will not let gay Marines bunk with heterosexual ones.
ROE Update: Gen. McChrystal strikes again – this time limiting night raids, reviewing Rules of Engagement. Developing: It appears that members of Congress think things have gone too far. Congressman Walter Jones (R – N.C.) has called for the House Armed Services Committee to conduct its own hearings on ROE. More on this in further updates.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Rules of Engagement, SEAL 3
Military Roundup
Photo of the Day: MARSOC (the Marine Corps’ special operations component) in Afghanistan
Pirates: USS Nicholas exchanges fire with pirates in Seychelles, captures five, sinks pirates’ skiff and captures mothership. USS Faragut sinks a pirate mothership during a separate incident in the Somali Basin.
The search continues for a missing airman after a Navy E-2C Hawkeye crashed in the Indian Ocean on 31 March. The other three crew members were recovered without injury.
Iraq: Despite a planned withdrawal that will roughly half our troop levels in Iraq by August 31, the number of U.S. special operations troops will remain at their current levels Special operations forces are currently deployed in 79 countries.
DADT update: Army secretary’s about-face on DADT moratorium
Ground summary (Afghanistan / Ground summary (Iraq) / Airpower summary
Army secretary does about-face on DADT moratorium
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: Don't Ask Don't Tell, Iraq, pirates, US Navy
Military Roundup
Photo of the day: Aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) performing high-speed turn drills
Obama, Medvedev expected to finalize a treaty Friday that cuts deployed nuclear weapons by one-fourth.
DADT: Military softens Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Lt. Gen. Ben Mixon, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific, wrote a letter to the editor in Stars & Stripes opposing the repeal of DADT. SecDef Gates and ADM Mullen rebuked Mixon, saying he was acting within his rights, but his remarks were “inappropriate” and “ill-advised.” (thanks to SoldiersMom at Blackfive for locating the letter)
Rules of Engagement: Air support pilots learn to hold back
SEAL 3 Courts-Martial Update: The military judge responsible for the case has ordered the convening authority to grant immunity to five SEAL witnesses, or the case may be abated and postponed indefinitely. As of this morning, my sources state that MG Cleveland agreed to grant immunity. But their request doesn’t imply guilt:
The five men’s refusal to testify under their Fifth Amendment right doesn’t mean they have anything to hide. Citing Supreme Court rulings, Carlos noted that one of the Fifth Amendment’s basic functions “is to protect innocent men… ‘who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances.’ “
A legal defense fund has been established to assist our SEALs with their legal costs, which proceeds from the Victory Institute’s “Free the SEALs” merchandise are sent. Author Betty Kilbride is also donating proceeds of her book to the SEAL defense fund. Visit her Facebook page or her publisher’s website for more.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: Don't Ask Don't Tell, free speech, Free the SEALs, nuclear weapons, SEAL 3
Military Roundup
Iran: While our leadership appears willing to move mountains to work with the Iranians, Iran is busy teaching the Taliban how to murder our troops more effectively. It is important to note that the Sunni Taliban and the Shi’ite Iranians have little problem working together to kill our men and women. Meanwhile, Iranians are killing U.S. troops in Iraq.
Vets for Congress: Lt. Col. Bill Connor (U.S. Army Res.), who is running for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, has earned a recent endorsement from retired Army Major General Paul Vallely. With leadership principles like “Mission first, men always,” and “leaders eat last,” it appears that the Palmetto State will be in good hands. Scores of other military members have endorsed Connor including 12 generals and all five of South Carolina’s living Medal of Honor recipients.
Lt. Col. Allen West (U.S. Army, retired) is running for U.S. Congress in Florida. Mike Thornton – one of the S.C. Medal recipients supporting Connor – has also endorsed Lt. Col. West, and will appear in two campaign events on Thursday, March 25.
This week in U.S. military history: Military Milestones from Guilford Courthouse to Iraq
65 years ago, the Battle of Iwo Jima was drawing to a close. The Medal of Honor citations for the battle can be viewed at Unto the Breach.
The first episode of HBO’s miniseries The Pacific is available for online viewing at HBO.com.
Israel has declassified materials that display multiple instances of Hamas terrorists using children as human shields during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza Strip, despite a U.N. report stating the exact opposite. Meanwhile, five Gaza rockets have hit Israel in the past 24 hours.
Following its first-ever vertical takeoff the day before, the F-35 Lightning II made its first-ever vertical landing on Thursday.
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell update: In the military, male-on-male rapes reportedly occur more often than male-on-female rapes.
Afghanistan: Two Russian veterans of the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan seem to think that the Taliban can be bribed not to fight.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Gaza, Hamas, human shields, Iran, Israel, Mike Thornton, Taliban
The Gunny speaks
Military Times recently interviewed R. Lee Ermey, combat veteran of Vietnam and Drill Instructor extraordinaire, on important subjects such as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, rules of engagement, tattoos, and stationary. A couple of excerpts (emphasis mine):
Q. What are your thoughts on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and recent efforts to end the ban on open service by gays and lesbians?
A. I don’t have a problem with “don’t ask, don’t tell.” It works. Now all of a sudden, this illustrious leader of America decided he wants to put openly gay people in the military. But where are they going to live and take showers, and which bathrooms are they going to use?
I liken it to putting me in the woman Marine barracks. I would have a great time, but I don’t think they would like it very much.
If I’m taking a shower in an open shower bay, the last thing I want is some guy looking at me having sexual fantasies.
I think everybody in this country should have equal rights, but I don’t think we should infringe on someone else’s to give another person more.
Funny, the founding fathers had the same thing in mind when writing the Constitution.
Q. You served in Vietnam. What do you think about the rules of engagement today in Afghanistan?
A. We lost Vietnam because a bunch of people in Congress who had never been in the military or never experienced war were calling the shots.
In Vietnam, we couldn’t fire our rifles unless we were fired upon. That seems like chicken s— because you might not get your turn.
Under this administration, after a firefight, it seems like we just about have to put up yellow tape, conduct forensics and collect shell casings like a crime scene.
It’s gotten to the point where a young man is afraid to shoot his rifle in self-defense because he might be brought up on murder charges. I think we should be above that. We should have amnesty. Higher-ups in Washington have amnesty. How about the poor warrior in the field just trying to do his job?
In: Military · Tagged with: Don't Ask Don't Tell, R. Lee Ermey, Rules of Engagement, US military
Less than 30% of military supports repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
While the news media is conducting poll after poll showing America’s supposed support for repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), shouldn’t we really be wondering what the troops themselves think?
After all, when it comes to our national security, shouldn’t the opinion of the service member who faces life-and-death situations on a daily basis matter more than say a school teacher in Rhode Island? But Obama supports the repeal, therefore the military leadership has to come along.
A recent Military Times poll shows that only 29.5% of military members support the repeal of DADT. And over half say that military leaders, not the President, should be the deciding factor on the policy.
In: Politics · Tagged with: Don't Ask Don't Tell
Top Marine opposes repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
On Thursday the Commandant of the Marine Corps voiced his opposition to repealing the law that prevents gays from serving openly in the Armed Forces.
General James Conway told the Senate Armed Services Committee that a repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) would negatively affect the military.
“At this point, I think that the current policy works,” Conway said. “My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, and to the president would be to keep the law such as it is.”
The current law, which came into effect in 1993, states that there is “no constitutional right to serve in the armed forces,” and that Congress can “establish qualifications for and conditions of service.” It also states that persons who “engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”
Despite the military’s regulations banning homosexual behavior, homosexual members are in fact allowed to serve – just not openly. While the military will discharge that member once they are discovered to be gay, the military is not allowed to ask about their lifestyle, and the individual doesn’t have to tell. Essentially, it only becomes a problem when the member’s lifestyle interferes with the execution of their duties.
“My personal opinion is that unless we can strip away the emotion, the agendas and the politics and ask, at least in my case, do we somehow enhance the war-fighting capabilities of the United States Marine Corps by allowing homosexuals to openly serve?” asked Conway. Indeed, with the military engaged on two battlefields in a conflict that has lasted nearly nine years, now hardly seems to be the right time to put our troops in a position that has already been determined to be an ‘unacceptable risk.’”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have already expressed their support for a repeal of the policy, with Adm. Mullen even saying that it is “the right thing to do.”
Adm. Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, told the committee that he would be in opposition as well if an upcoming military study found that the repeal would harm the Navy’s readiness, according to Marine Corps Times.
The military is planning a 10-month study on military members and their families on the impact of homosexuals serving in the military and will also ask the RAND Corporation – who has received funding from George Soros’ Open Society Institute – to update their 1993 study on the matter.
In: Military · Tagged with: Don't Ask Don't Tell, US Marine Corps
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: what does it really say?
I refer you to U.S. Code: Title 10 Subtitle A Part II Chapter 37 § 654
Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces
Excerpts:
(2) There is no constitutional right to serve in the armed forces.
(3) … it lies within the discretion of the Congress to establish qualifications for and conditions of service in the armed forces.
(8) Military life is fundamentally different from civilian life in that … the military society is characterized by its own laws, rules, customs, and traditions, including numerous restrictions on personal behavior, that would not be acceptable in civilian society.
(12) The worldwide deployment of United States military forces, the international responsibilities of the United States, and the potential for involvement of the armed forces in actual combat routinely make it necessary for members of the armed forces involuntarily to accept living conditions and working conditions that are often spartan, primitive, and characterized by forced intimacy with little or no privacy.
(13) The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a longstanding element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service.
(14) The armed forces must maintain personnel policies that exclude persons whose presence in the armed forces would create an unacceptable risk to the armed forces’ high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.
And the pièce de résistance:
(15) The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.
The entire policy can be found here. And it is well worth reading.
So exactly what about homosexuality has changed since 1993? Do openly gay soldiers all of a sudden not damage “morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion?
[Originally posted at Blackfive]
In: Military · Tagged with: DADT, Don't Ask Don't Tell, US military
