After World War II the United States Congress wrote laws to prohibit homosexuals from openly serving in the military. The rationale was based on unit cohesion and fear that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly could negatively impact recruiting and retention. President Clinton was responsible for the updated policy in effect today known as "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT), now almost 15 years old.
This USAWC resident student paper provides the historical background and then examines the DADT policy in light of current research findings with respect to: changes in society, emerging doctrine, impact on college campuses and recruiting, impact on foreign militaries for which the ban has been lifted, and in police and fire departments where no ban exists.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
