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Gays in the Military: A Global View

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Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, right, and Army Secretary John McHugh, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (AP)
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, right, and Army Secretary John McHugh, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (AP)

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More testimony this week from top generals on repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” and permitting open service by gays in the U.S. military.

The top Army and Air Force generals in Washington were wary of the change. The top U.S. commander in Iraq said “don’t ask don’t tell” was a non-issue to him.

The Pentagon has committed to a year-long study of the change President Obama has called for. Now, a new study looks at gays serving openly in the militaries of 25 countries around the world. We’ll see what it finds.

This hour, On Point: a global perspective on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” debate.

Guests:

Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the University of California - Santa Barbara's Palm Center and lead author of the new report "Gays in Foreign Militaries 2010: A Global Primer" (pdf). He's also the author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America."

James Bowman, resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His piece titled "Don't Change 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" appeared in The Weekly Standard last October. He's the author of "Honor: A History."

Max Boot, senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He's author of "War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today," and other books.

This program aired on February 24, 2010.

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