Thursday, August 25, 2005
With all of the activism that has sprung to life already this semester, it comes as little surprise that one target for protest is the military. Once again, some seek to stop military recruitment on campus on the grounds that the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is bigoted and discriminatory. The problem with this protest, though, is that it is an attempt by some to impose societal ideals on the military at the expense of military effectiveness.
If you ask anyone who has spent time in or around the military, you will find that the armed services is one of the most color-blind segments of our society. In fact, minorities have held nearly every top position in the military and continue to play an important role in our country’s military leadership.
This color-blindness did not come about simply because some social engineers decided it would be a good idea to eliminate discrimination in the military, but instead because the military realized that, in order for it to be as effective as possible, the most capable and deserving people needed to be promoted to leadership positions. It is also for the sake of military effectiveness that gays are not allowed to serve openly.
Gays do serve in the military today, but the reason they are not allowed to serve openly is because there is an overwhelming concern that their sexuality will break down unit cohesion.
Contrary to the belief of some, most straight men do not want to live in intimately close quarters for long periods of time with gay men. In a perfect world, this would not be an issue because everyone could just get along, but in the real world, this type of situation creates tension and uneasiness.
This strain causes military units to work less effectively as a team and leads to an overall decrease in a unit’s ability to accomplish the mission.
This reduction in performance may be an acceptable cost in the corporate world where the result is profit, but in the military, the reduction of a unit’s ability to perform its mission can often lead to unnecessary deaths and injuries when it is faced with the combat situations the military now encounters every day.
I’m glad that people are taking an interest in the military and are concerned enough to protest, but instead of seeking to expel recruiters because of a policy that conflicts with the notions of an ideal society, I hope that people take the time to examine the reasons behind the policy to understand why the military is reluctant to change its position.
- Joshua Goetting writing for the editorial board.
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