Posted on 02/14/2006 6:52:38 AM PST by Cagey
WASHINGTON Feb 13, 2006 (AP)— Discharging troops under the Pentagon's policy on gays cost $363.8 million over 10 years, almost double what the government concluded a year ago, a private report says.
The report, to be released Tuesday by a University of California Blue Ribbon Commission, questioned the methodology the Government Accountability Office used when it estimated that the financial impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was at least $190.5 million.
"It builds on the previous findings and paints a more complete picture of the costs," said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., who has proposed legislation that would repeal the policy.
Congress approved the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in 1993 during the Clinton administration. It allows gays and lesbians to serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps as long as they abstain from homosexual activity and do not disclose their sexual orientation.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which has represented service members who left the military under the policy, estimates the Pentagon has discharged more than 10,000 service members for homosexuality since "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" went into effect in 1994. The number of discharges has gone down in recent years.
In February 2005, the GAO said the financial impact could not be completely estimated because the government does not collect financial information specific to each individual's case.
Cautioning that the figures may be too low, the GAO said the federal government spent at least $95.4 million to recruit and $95.1 million to train replacements from 1994 through 2003 for the 9,488 troops discharged during that period because of the policy.
The university study said the GAO erred by emphasizing the expense of replacing those who were discharged because of the policy without taking into account the value the military lost from the departures.
So, the commission focused on the estimated value the military lost from each person discharged. The report detailed costs of $79.3 million for recruiting enlisted service members, $252.4 million for training them, $17.8 million for training officers and $14.3 million for "separation travel" once a service member is discharged.
Commission members include former Defense Secretary William Perry, a member of the Clinton administration, and Lawrence Korb, a former assistant defense secretary during the Reagan administration, as well as professors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
How the heck did that slip in? Somebody might be about to lose their job.
I wonder how much it cost when the original ban on homosexuals in the military cost? Was it more or less? If less, I doubt we will hear about it. This report seems to suggest that kicking them out under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" cost so much so we should just allow them to practice their perversion openly, I guess.
Worth every penney... A brokeback military would not be as effective.
Gee. Finally the MSM does a story about something besides the discrepency between the 1965 projections of the costs of Medicare and the actual costs of that program.
Sooo a private report conflicts with the government report, eh? Well, whichever report makes Bush look the WORST, that is the one the press will believe and hype.
"estimates the Pentagon has discharged more than 10,000 service members for homosexuality since "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" went into effect in 1994"
And we were discharging them prior to that date for the very same reasons. I know because I handled several of these discharges durin my time in the Navy.
Discharging homosexuals may cost the military money but "Don't ask, don't tell" hasn't jack to do with it. Prior to "DADT" they just lied to get in. Cost of DADT? Probably close to $0.
Totally meaningless without an explanation of how the number was derived; and totally meaningless without a comparison to some alternative (which does not exist). So, we are reduced to the one true important question here: how much did this "cost estimate" cost?
Brokeback Military Alert!
How does discharging a gay person, cost any different, than discharging anyone else?
"Worth every penney... A brokeback military would not be as effective."
Larger fines in sentencing may help defray the cost, also suing any poofster organizations that have promoted enlisting, while concealing homoness.
Because if you don't give them flowers and a manicure coupon they'll scratch your eyes out.
This makes little sense to me. Before Don't Ask Don't Tell my illustrious Navy JAG career consisted largely of homosexual discharge boards. (Including the great Manama Lesbian Mutiny in 1991). I can't believe there are more now than there were then. Mind you, I thought it was mostly silly then, and I think it is mostly silly now.
"Brokeback Military Alert!"
You'd be surprized how many effiminate acting guys get pressured into the military by their parents, trying to make a "man" out of their little daisy. Lots of times they get weeded out in boot camp (my company lost 2) by admitting to being gay in order to get back home. Other times they break the news before a big deployment or whatever.
They would get discharged so I don't see where DADT changed anything.
Isn't this a Pink Ribbon panel. How was this funded?. Hopefully not California taxpayers. No wonder they're in the can financially. But maybe the University of California got a grant from the "Brokeback Family Foundation."
And I bet they look just absolutely SUPER SPECIAL in their blue ribbons.
Left unsaid is the unrealized savings of not treating their much higher rate of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV.
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