News in from the US informs us that the US The military spent about $193.3 million in the financial years 2004 to 2009 on the horrendous Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that basically made liars out of both gay service personnel and the military leaders! The figure indicates the cost to replace approximately 3,660 troops discharged under the policy according to an audit.
For those years, it cost about $185 million to recruit and train replacement troops and $7.7 million in administrative costs. Each separation cost $52,800 on average, according to Government Accountability Office estimates published Thursday.
These finding come nearly a month after President Obama singed legislation starting the process of fully lifting the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly. The Defence Department is expected within the next week to announce plans to train senior commanders, chaplains, and the rank and file about changes to its personnel policy before officially ending "don't ask, don't tell," senior Pentagon officials said Thursday.
However, things would be really different if the Republican’s had their way, first they forced Clinton to back down on lifting a ban on gays serving openly in the forces and came up with a compromise deal that was DADT. At the time, the world applauded the effort, but laughed at the result, which really didn’t help and made liars out of gay people who wanted to be in the army.
Yet again House Republicans want to slow things down, hoping they can slow momentum down so much that it stalls until the next election. This week introduced a bill that would require the chiefs of all four military branches to join President Obama, Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in signing off on the Pentagon's plans for repeal before the policy ends. The bill the president signed just requires that he, Gates and Mullen certify the repeal. Even if this silly and wasteful GOP bill passes the Republican-led House, it will face stiff resistance in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Of the troops discharged over the six year period, around 39 per cent held infantry or security roles or had critical foreign-language skills, the report says. Those figures appear to confirm the concerns of gay rights leaders and supportive lawmakers who faulted the military for removing highly skilled troops at an unnecessary expense at a time when the country needed them most.
"Acknowledging that the costs of this discriminatory law are likely higher, it is further evidence that the Department of Defence implement repeal expeditiously," Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign told reporters.
What was it like to serve in the US Navy during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a new insiders tale coming soon here on GWN
Jason Shaw
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