WASHINGTON (AFNS) –
In his State of the Union Address this year, President Barack Obama called on Congress to repeal the law commonly known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
A comprehensive review of issues associated with the possible repeal led Defense Secretary Robert Gates to create an intra-Department, inter-Service working group. The working group is in place to systematically engage the force and their families to assess the implications of repeal, should it occur.
To solicit feedback, an online inbox was also created as one method the group will use to gather opinions. Since its debut in early May, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" online inbox continues to help assess the implications of a possible repeal.
Noting the importance of getting the opinions of those who would be affected most by a repeal of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, Secretary Gates urged servicemembers to provide their input.
"I think it is very important for us to understand from our men and women in uniform the challenges that they see," Secretary Gates said, noting that the department needs their views on the subject and the challenges they see to implementing a possible change to the law.
Using the inbox, servicemembers and their families may comment anonymously to offer their thoughts about how a repeal of the law might affect military readiness, military effectiveness and unit cohesion, recruiting and retention, and family readiness. A non-Defense Department contractor will monitor comments made through the inbox and eliminate any identifiable information inadvertently submitted to ensure anonymity.
In addition to the online inbox, the Defense Department also released 400,000 e-mail surveys July 8. Another survey will go to 150,000 family members in August. The survey is confidential, the secretary pointed out.
"I strongly encourage gays and lesbians who are in the military to fill out these forms," Secretary Gates said. "We've organized this in a way to protect their privacy and the confidentiality of their responses through a third party, and it's important that we hear from them as well as everybody else. But I think we're satisfied that this is an important element of this effort, and that it's being done in a very professional way."
For common access card holders who did not receive a survey, the DOD continues to encourage use of the online inbox at
http://www.defense.gov/dadt.
(Courtesy of American Forces Press Service)