2008 Woodie Awards
UC study shows cost of 'don't ask, don't tell'
Abigail Palmer, Daily Bruin
Issue date: 2/22/06 Section: News
A report released Tuesday by the University of California examining the cost of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays found that the government spent $363.8 million over the course of nine years to implement the program.
The "don't ask, don't tell" policy, initiated by the Clinton administration in 1994, allows gays and lesbians to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation or engage in homosexual activities while in the military.
The UC Blue Ribbon Commission found that between 1994 and 2003, the federal government spent $363.8 million on the release of 137 service members as a result of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
This total includes the cost of training the service members who were released, which was considered to be wasted money, as well as recruitment and training of replacements for those who were discharged.
These numbers are drastically different from the results of a similar report conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2005. The GAO reported that the policy cost $190.5 million--$173.3 million less than the commission's figure.
The UC report found some key errors in the GAO's analysis, such as omitting various costs and using unrealistic figures.
The GAO report also didn't include the value the military received from gay and lesbian service members prior to their discharge.
The findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission provide policymakers working to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" with evidence suggesting flaws in the policy.
"The conventional justification for 'don't ask, don't tell' has been that allowing gays to serve undermines military readiness. Now we have the numbers to prove that the policy itself is undermining our military readiness," Congressman Marty Meehan, D-Mass, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.
Meehan argues that turning away competent, willing servicemen and women during wartime does not make sense.
The "don't ask, don't tell" policy, initiated by the Clinton administration in 1994, allows gays and lesbians to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation or engage in homosexual activities while in the military.
The UC Blue Ribbon Commission found that between 1994 and 2003, the federal government spent $363.8 million on the release of 137 service members as a result of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
This total includes the cost of training the service members who were released, which was considered to be wasted money, as well as recruitment and training of replacements for those who were discharged.
These numbers are drastically different from the results of a similar report conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2005. The GAO reported that the policy cost $190.5 million--$173.3 million less than the commission's figure.
The UC report found some key errors in the GAO's analysis, such as omitting various costs and using unrealistic figures.
The GAO report also didn't include the value the military received from gay and lesbian service members prior to their discharge.
The findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission provide policymakers working to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" with evidence suggesting flaws in the policy.
"The conventional justification for 'don't ask, don't tell' has been that allowing gays to serve undermines military readiness. Now we have the numbers to prove that the policy itself is undermining our military readiness," Congressman Marty Meehan, D-Mass, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.
Meehan argues that turning away competent, willing servicemen and women during wartime does not make sense.