Sen. Mitch McConnell doesn't want a DADT Vote this year

President Obama's Statement on the DADT Survey

As Commander in Chief, I have pledged to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law because it weakens our national security, diminishes our military readiness, and violates fundamental American principles of fairness and equality by preventing patriotic Americans who are gay from serving openly in our armed forces.  At the same time, as Commander in Chief, I am committed to ensuring that we understand the implications of this transition, and maintain good order and discipline within our military ranks. That is why I directed the Department of Defense earlier this year to begin preparing for a transition to a new policy. 

Today’s report confirms that a strong majority of our military men and women and their families—more than two thirds—are prepared to serve alongside Americans who are openly gay and lesbian.  This report also confirms that, by every measure—from unit cohesion to recruitment and retention to family readiness—we can transition to a new policy in a responsible manner that ensures our military strength and national security. And for the first time since this law was enacted 17 years ago today, both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have publicly endorsed ending this policy.

With our nation at war and so many Americans serving on the front lines, our troops and their families deserve the certainty that can only come when an act of Congress ends this discriminatory policy once and for all.  The House of Representatives has already passed the necessary legislation.  Today I call on the Senate to act as soon as possible so I can sign this repeal into law this year and ensure that Americans who are willing to risk their lives for their country are treated fairly and equally.  Our troops represent the virtues of selfless sacrifice and love of country that have enabled our freedoms. I am absolutely confident that they will adapt to this change and remain the best led, best trained, best equipped fighting force the world has ever known.

Quick Rundown of the DADT Hearing

Robert Gates kicks it off

Here more in detail from Washington Post

The conclusions published in Tuesday's report give a boost to President Obama and Congressional Democrats seeking to eliminate the ban before the end of the year and undercut the arguments of social conservatives and lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who believe ending the law would harm the military as it conducts two wars.

"The risk of repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell to overall military effectiveness is low," said the report's co-authors, Defense Department General Counsel Jeh C. Johnson and Army Gen. Carter F. Ham. While ending the ban would likely bring about "limited and isolated disruption" to unit cohesion and retention, "we do not believe this disruption will be widespread or long-lasting," they said.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who requested the report, echoed their sentiments: "This can be done, and should be done, without posing a serious risk to military readiness."

"Now that we have completed this review, I strongly urge the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to the president for signature before the end of this year," Gates said. "I believe this is a matter of some urgency because, as we have seen this past year, the federal courts are increasingly becoming involved in this issue."
According to the results of a survey sent to troops this summer and cited in the report, 69 percent of respondents said they had served with someone in their unit who they believed to be gay or lesbian. Of those who did, 92 percent stated that their unit's ability to work together was very good, good, or neither good nor poor, according to the report.

Combat units reported similar responses, with 89 percent of Army combat units and 84 percent of Marine combat units saying they had good or neutral experiences working with gays and lesbians.
At the same time, the survey found that 30 percent of those surveyed overall -- and between 40 and 60 percent of the Marine Corps -- either expressed concern or predicted a negative reaction if Congress were to repeal the law. 

Those concerns are "driven by misperceptions and stereotypes about what it would mean if gay service members were allowed to be 'open' about their sexual orientation," the report's authors concluded. "Repeatedly, we heard service members express the view that 'open' homosexuality would lead to widespread and overt displays of effeminacy among men, homosexual promiscuity, harassment and unwelcome advances within units, invasions of personal privacy, and a small overall erosion of standards of conduct, unit cohesion and morality."

Such concerns are "exaggerated, and not consistent with the reported experiences of many service members," the report said.

About 115,000 of the 400,000 active duty and reserve troops who received copies of the survey responded to it, according to the report. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.
The Washington Post first reported earlier this month on many of the report's details.
With Tuesday's findings in hand, advocates for ending the ban are planning intense lobbying efforts to ensure Congress passes a defense policy bill that includes language ending the ban before the lame-duck session concludes. The bill's fate remains uncertain despite assurances by Senate Democrats that they will reconsider the measure this month.


Passage rests largely on securing support from about 10 moderate senators of both parties who are waiting to read the report before deciding how to vote. Already Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Susan CollinsOlympia SnoweJohn Ensign (R-Nev.), James Webb (D-Va.) and others could also join repeal efforts after reading the report, according to Congressional aides and other officials familiar with deliberations on the matter. (R-Maine) have said they will vote to end the ban if Democrats permit a fair debate. Sens. (R-Maine),

That's a lot! For another perspective, go here

READ the DADT Survey Results

DADT Survey Findings    

Thanks to JMG for uploading the results

The DADT Survey Results will be discussed with Congress Today

The DADT survey results will be the topic of discussion in Congress today. Adm Mullen and Robert Gates will bring the findings to Capitol Hill, hoping to move the repeal of DADT forward.

Here's more:

Officials familiar with the 10-month study's results have said a clear majority of respondents don't care if gays serve openly, with 70 percent predicting that lifting the ban would have positive, mixed or no results. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings hadn't been released.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, who have both said they support repealing the law, were scheduled to discuss the findings with Congress Tuesday morning and with reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have mostly opposed repealing the law because they say efforts to do so are politically driven and dangerous at a time of two wars.
"This was a political promise made by an inexperienced president or candidate for presidency of the United States," McCain told CNN's "State of the Union" last weekend.

"The military is at its highest point in recruitment and retention and professionalism and capability, so to somehow allege that this policy has been damaging the military is simply false," McCain said.
Democrats and gay rights groups counter that the study finally proves what they've known anecdotally for years: Most troops would accept an openly gay person in their units.

"It's what we expected. The atmosphere in the active-duty has changed," said a gay Air Force officer and co-founder of the advocacy group OutServe. The officer uses the pseudonym "JD Smith" to protect his identity.

The survey is based on responses by some 115,000 troops and 44,200 military spouses to more than a half million questionnaires distributed last summer. The study group, led by Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and Army Gen. Carter Ham, also visited various military bases and held town hall-style meetings with service members.

I will have more as the day unfolds

Robert Gibbs said Obama will meet with the Joint Chiefs Today about DADT

via JMG

Robert Gates moves up release of the DADT Report by One Day

Interesting DADT news! Robert Gates will move up the DADT results a day early

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has agreed to move up by one day the release of a Pentagon report on implementing a repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has governed the military for 17 years, a spokesman said Sunday night.

"Secretary Gates is pushing all involved in the Comprehensive Review Working Group's report to have it ready for public release on November 30th in order to accommodate the desire of the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings as soon as possible," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said in a statement e-mailed to reporters.

The November 30th date amounts to a one day acceleration of the report, which had initially been planned for release in early December. Last week, the Pentagon committed to a December 1 release. However, gay rights groups and several senators who support repeal of the congressionally-mandated ban on openly gay servicemembers had asked Gates to get the report out as quickly as possible. Until Sunday, the Pentagon had rebuffed those requests.

source

More early DADT survey results... Minimal risk in Ending the Ban

Well, it looks like the DADT survey is almost done and verdict may be clear: There could be minimal risk in lifting the ban.


Washington Post dishes:

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.

I hope these findings help end this damn ban!

Early results DADT Survey: No Big Deal for a Repeal?

Rachel Maddow learned from NBC News' Richard Engel that the results of the DADT survey, looks promising.

Only 10% of the DADT Surveys are done

This is interesting. Just 10% of the 400, 000 DADT surveys are completed.

Here's the scoop from Stars & Stripes

Only about 10 percent of the 400,000 "don't ask, don't tell" surveys sent out three weeks ago have been returned, and Pentagon officials are lobbying troops to fill out the rest before the Aug. 15 deadline set for the research.

The survey, featuring more than 100 questions on perceptions of troops’ morale and behavior before and after a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, is designed to give a Defense Department working group a better sense of servicemembers’ concerns about allowing openly gay troops in the ranks. Originally, researchers had planned on contacting only 200,000 troops with the survey, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates doubled that number to get a broader range of reactions.

But gay rights groups have questioned the value of the survey, and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network warned closeted gay troops against participating in the exercise. Even though the survey will be conducted by e-mail through an outside contractor, SLDN officials said that promise of anonymity didn’t offer enough security for troops who still could be kicked out under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.

Defense officials could not say whether that negative reaction has hurt response rates, but are urging everyone who received the survey to fill it out. A similar survey will be sent out to 150,000 military family members next month.

I wonder if the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network will be blamed for the low turnout. It's a possibility and an ugly fallout if that happens. I hope they have a spin ready, because this may not be pretty if the survey below 50%.

Rachel Maddow talks to Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach about DADT

Want to see the DADT Survey? Here it is.

Here it is

uploaded by joenyc

Defense Secretary Robert Gates Says Fill Out DADT Survey