I've heard quite a bit of discussion around the company that as of now, Don't Ask Don't Tell has been repealed. That didn't make sense to me because I assumed such a thing would be huge news. But I also took a long break from anything to do with politics, other than listening to NPR on the radio to and from work.
So I did some searching and, boy, even listening to a few minutes of NPR I have been living under a rock.
'Don't ask, don't tell' is repealed by Senate; bill awaits Obama's signing
I vaguely remember discussion about this on political sites, mostly how this is either "not enough," "a complete farce" or even "worse than the current policy."
I also found this on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Implementation
The passage of the repeal act does not result in the immediate repeal of DADT. Under the terms of the new law, the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must certify in writing that they have reviewed the Pentagon's report on the effects of DADT repeal, that the appropriate regulations have been reviewed and drafted and that implementation of repeal regulations "is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces". Once certification is given, a 60-day waiting period will begin before DADT is formally repealed.[59]
Representative Duncan D. Hunter announced plans in January 2011 to introduce a bill designed to delay DADT repeal. Should his bill be adopted, all of the chiefs of the armed services would need to submit the certification currently required only of the President, Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs Chairman.[60]
In January 2011, Pentagon officials stated that the training process to prepare troops for the repeal would begin in February and would proceed quickly, though it might not be completed in 2011.[61]
It appears DADT has not been repealed yet, so why is everyone saying the repeal is already in affect? So a made a phone call to see if I could get more answers. A little background, I did a tour of recruiter duty a couple years ago in my home town. My sister ended up marrying one of the recruiters in my station, who is now a Station Commander. I just called him now and asked him about the current recruiting policies. According to him the official repeal has not occurred yet (and he's going to try to find out the date and call me back), but they have been informed that they can now start putting people in even if they admit to being gay.
During my search online, I ran across a Huffco article which actually contains US Army Training Slides with some interesting information inside.
I encourage everyone to download and read it, but just in case you don't have Adobe here's a copy and paste.
Repeal of
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
(DADT)
Tier III Educational Material
Leadership – Professionalism – Discipline - Respect
Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Introduction
Purpose of Brief:
Inform about repeal and its effects
NOT to change beliefs
Expectations During Brief:
Ask policy-focused questions
Maintain professional demeanor
Army Values - Our Core
our baseline,
our foundation,
our core.
They define who we
are, what we do, and
what we stand for.
• Loyalty
• Duty
• Respect
• Selfless Service
• Honor
• Integrity
• Personal Courage
Army Guiding Principles
1. Leadership Matters Most
2. Standards of Conduct Apply to Everyone
Regardless of Sexual Orientation
3. Treat Each Other with Dignity and Respect
4. Application of our Rules and Policies Must
be Sexual Orientation Neutral
5. Emphasize Our Role as Professional
Soldiers
Army Guiding Principles (cont)
Keep it Simple
There Is No Expectation To Change Religious or
Moral Views
Good Order And Discipline Will Be Maintained At
All Times
Chaplains have both the right to serve and conduct
religious services according to their faith, and a
duty to perform or provide religious support.
Stay Focused on Your Mission
What Is the New Policy?
Effective Upon Repeal
What’s New?
No discharge based on sexual orientation
Not a factor in recruitment and retention
What has NOT changed?
Evaluations remain on merit, fitness and
capability
Sexual misconduct = grounds for
administrative or legal action
Is There a New Policy . . .
For Civilian Employees and DoD Contractors?
There is no new policy for DoD civilian
employees
DoDD 1020.02 prohibits unlawful
employment discrimination based on
sexual orientation
Contractor employees should address any
concerns with their supervisor at the
company of employment
What Is the New Policy?
Key Features
Sexual Orientation is:
A personal and private matter
NOT a bar to military service
NOT a basis for discharge
The Army maintains:
Zero tolerance for harassment, violence,
or discrimination
How Is The New Policy Enforced?
Standards of Conduct
Apply without regard to sexual orientation
Violations remain punishable as:
Violation of a lawful regulation
Disobeying an order
Dereliction of duty
Possible disciplinary and administrative
actions, to include involuntary separation
How is The New Policy Enforced?
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
Remains legal foundation of good order
and discipline
Enforces standards of conduct and laws
Prohibits harassment, sexual assault or
other violence
Punishes sexual misconduct of all
Soldiers
What If . . .
I Have Moral or Religious Concerns?
Rights:
Free exercise of religious expression, within
law and policy, remains unchanged
Maintain beliefs
Discuss concerns with commander/chaplain
Responsibilities:
Treat all with dignity and respect
Follow all lawful orders
What Can I Expect . . .
From My Chaplain?
Free exercise of religion and duty to care
for all remains unchanged
In the context of their religious ministry,
chaplains are not required to take actions
inconsistent with their religious beliefs
What If . . .
I Want an Early Discharge?
No policy for early discharge based on:
Opposition to repeal
Opposition to serving or living with gay,
lesbian or bisexual Service members
Provision for voluntary discharge remains
unchanged and is granted only when in the
best interest of the Army
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Privacy and Cohabitation?
No segregation of facilities, quarters or
practices based on sexual orientation
Commanders retain the authority to
address concerns on a case-by-case basis
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Medical Readiness?
Existing practices ensure medical
readiness
No change to medical policies
Medical information remains protected by
HIPAA
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Equal Treatment?
All Soldiers remain evaluated only on
individual merit, fitness and capability
Use existing mechanisms such as chain
of command, IG, etc., for redress of
issues based on sexual orientation
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Data and Records?
No requirement to ID sexual orientation
No collection or maintenance of
information on sexual orientation
Privacy protection applies to information
voluntarily provided by members such as:
SGLI beneficiary
Emergency notification contact
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Co-Location?
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) currently
recognizes only opposite-sex marriage
No DoD sponsored co-location assignments
for same-sex dual-military couples
Any Soldier may request hardship-based
assignment accommodation
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Overseas Assignments?
Current policies remain unchanged
Information provided on host-country laws,
to include homosexuality
No funding or country clearance for samesex
partners
Any Soldier may request hardship-based
assignment accommodation
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Accession and Recruiting?
No requirement to declare sexual
orientation
Sexual orientation is NOT a bar to military
service
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Re-Accession?
Reentry based on past performance,
character of service and Army needs
Prior Soldiers may seek reentry if separated
“only” under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
No requirement to petition for change of
adverse reentry codes PRIOR to reentry
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Claims and Redress?
No change to existing policy
No retroactive change to lawful
standards
An Soldier may petition for redress
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Family Members and Family Support Services?
Family Support Services will continue to
offer information and referral services to all
Families will be offered repeal information
through various avenues
What is the impact to eligibility for:
Family Advocacy Services
Child Development Services
Youth Services
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Benefits Policy?
Same-sex partner does NOT qualify for
benefits such as:
Medical
BAH
Travel/Transport Allowance
Family Separation Allowance
Survivor Benefit Plan (death on active duty)
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Beneficiaries?
As always any person may be designated
as beneficiary for certain benefits:
Thrift-Savings Plan
Death Gratuity
SGLI
Unpaid Pay and Allowances
Survivor Benefit Plan at Retirement - only
if qualified as an insurable interest
How Does This Policy Affect . . .
Military Family Housing?
Current policies still apply for Soldiers with
statutorily authorized dependents
Non-dependents are generally NOT authorized
to reside in military family housing
Exceptions made without regard to sexual
orientation
Top 10 Things You Need to Know About The
Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Accessions & Separations Policies
Standards of Conduct Apply Equally to
Everyone
Personal Privacy
Moral and Religious Concerns
Benefits
Top 10 Things You Need to Know About The
Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Equal Opportunity
Duty Assignments
Medical Policy
Release and Service Commitments
Collection and Retention of Sexual
Orientation Data
Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Summary
Brief provided information regarding the
repeal of DADT and its effects
Brief provided reminders of:
Core Values
Army diversity and unit cohesion
Standards of conduct
Until the date of repeal, current policy
remains in effect
END OF SLIDE
In summary, by any objective standards this is a huge step in the right direction. One that would not have happened had John McCain won the election. Elections matter.