Study: Little Risk in Ending "Don't Ask"

[jefferson_dem]

Study: Little Risk in Ending "Don't Ask"



Sources tell Washington Post a Pentagon Study Concludes Only Minimal Risk to War Efforts if Gays Serve Openly

A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar with a draft of the report, which is due to President Obama on Dec. 1.

More than 70 percent of respondents to a survey sent to active-duty and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would be positive, mixed or nonexistent, said two sources familiar with the document. The survey results led the report's authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.

One source, who has read the report in full, summarized its findings in a series of conversations this week. The source declined to state his position on whether to lift the ban, insisting it did not matter. He said he felt compelled to share the information out of concern that groups opposed to ending the ban would mischaracterize the findings. The long, detailed and nuanced report will almost certainly be used by opponents and supporters of repeal legislation to bolster their positions in what is likely to be a heated and partisan congressional debate.

President Obama has vowed to end the ban. Senior Pentagon officials requested the survey to address areas in which a repeal might cause conflicts that could hinder the military's ability to fight.

"There are challenges here, and we want the time so we can make the process of implementation as smooth as possible," said a second person who was briefed on the report but had not read it.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/11/politics/washingtonpost/main7043394.shtml

[BlueIris]

1. Duh.

But I won't be convinced the Admin (or anyone else in the Dem party) wants to end it until it is gone.

Get a move on, my alleged representatives.