News Reel

9/30/2009 5:31:52 PM

New York Times-ELISABETH BUMILLER

WASHINGTON-In an unusual show of support for allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed force

WASHINGTON-In an unusual show of support for allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, an official military journal article argues forcefully this month for repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that requires homosexuals in the services to keep their sexual orientation secret.

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."

The article, which was first reported by The Boston Globe on Wednesday, also states that the law has been costly - about 12,500 service members have been discharged since the ban went into effect in 1993 - and argues that it undermines the unit cohesion it has sought to protect.

"In an attempt to allow homosexual servicemembers to serve quietly, a law was created that forces a compromise in integrity, conflicts with the American creed of 'equality for all,' places commanders in difficult moral dilemmas, and is ultimately more damaging to the unit cohesion its stated purpose is to preserve," Colonel Prakash writes.

The article says that in other countries where bans were lifted on homosexuals in the military - including in Australia, Canada and Great Britain - there was no "mass exodus" of heterosexual service members and there was little impact on military performance.

The article does not necessarily reflect the views of Mr. Gates and Admiral Mullen, who have only said publicly that they are assessing the issue and that it is up to Congress to change the law. But the article may put more political pressure on President Obama, who promised during the 2008 presidential campaign to overturn the ban but has so far moved slowly, much to the dismay of gay rights groups.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which represents some of the 12,500 gay men and lesbians discharged from the military under the ban, hailed the article on Wednesday as a "breakthrough development." In a statement, the group said it was time "to move out on the specifics of when and how to implement a new policy of nondiscrimination."

Joint Force Quarterly is the official publication of Admiral Mullen and carries a column by him in each issue, but he had no comment on Wednesday on the article.

"We did not encourage or discourage this story in any way," said Admiral Mullen's spokesman, Capt. John Kirby. "The chairman wants this magazine to be a place where officers of all ranks and services can discuss the key issues of the day."