Repealing DADT: Two Specious Rationales

Crossposted at The Conservative Wahoo:

As the Obama Administration moves forward with trying to get Congress to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell (a move I support), two arguments are frequently raised.

In the first, we are told that there are other fine militaries around the world in which gays are allowed to serve openly. In this latest edition of this line of thinking, the Australian, British, Canadian and Israeli Armed Services are put forward as examples of countries where "unit cohesion" issues are apparently insufficient to stymie gay service. I take a backseat to no one in admiration of these country's armed services, but come on now--who'd you take in a fight with us? The Canadians? The Australians? I know, I know--that's not what the proponents are saying--but what I'M SAYING is that there is only one global superpower and the forces and influences upon ITS combat readiness are different and more important than those that impact any other nations.

Secondly, there's the "military should reflect the society it serves" argument. In this line of thinking, since there are gay people in society, there should be gay people in the military. Hogwash. There are obese people in society. There are wheelchair-bound people in society. There are people in persistent vegetative states in society--yet we seem to have no problem excluding these people from military service.

No, the only reason to overturn DADT would be the recognition that excluding gay people--qualified in every other way--makes us a less combat ready force, a force appropriate to the needs and interests of the world's most important power. Not because the Brits do it or the Israelis do it. Not because our military should reflect our society.

And it is my opinion that we are losing talented people whose presence in the ranks far outweighs whatever loss in unit cohesion might apply. Unit cohesion isn't binary--a 1 or a 0. It is a continuum, constantly changing, increasing and decreasing as leadership and unit make-up changes. What matters most are how good you are and how well you work with the others. I'm convinced that gay people can do those things as well as straight people.

Bryan McGrath