2.26.2005
U.S. Counts Cost of Sacked Gay Soldiers (TheAge.com.au)
By Bryan Bender
Washington
February 26, 2005
The military's ban on gays has stripped the defence force of some of its most valuable personnel.
The Pentagon has spent more than $200 million ($A254 million) to replace more than 9488 service members forced out of the US military because they were gay.
Of those, 300 were foreign language specialists considered critical in the war on terrorism.
The revelation was made in the first government study to assess the fighting and financial impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prohibits openly gay servicemen and women.
These soldiers had "some skills in an important foreign language such as Arabic, Farsi and Korean," according to a report by the Government Accountability Office to be published next month.
At least 54 of the 322 language specialists spoke Arabic - more than twice as many as previous estimates. At the same time, more than 400 additional soldiers discharged had what the Pentagon considers "critical occupations", including navy code-breakers, army intelligence specialists and interrogators, air force air traffic controllers, and marine corps counter-intelligence specialists.
(More ... US counts cost of sacked gay soldiers - World - www.theage.com.au) ¶ 19:33
Washington
February 26, 2005
The military's ban on gays has stripped the defence force of some of its most valuable personnel.
The Pentagon has spent more than $200 million ($A254 million) to replace more than 9488 service members forced out of the US military because they were gay.
Of those, 300 were foreign language specialists considered critical in the war on terrorism.
The revelation was made in the first government study to assess the fighting and financial impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prohibits openly gay servicemen and women.
These soldiers had "some skills in an important foreign language such as Arabic, Farsi and Korean," according to a report by the Government Accountability Office to be published next month.
At least 54 of the 322 language specialists spoke Arabic - more than twice as many as previous estimates. At the same time, more than 400 additional soldiers discharged had what the Pentagon considers "critical occupations", including navy code-breakers, army intelligence specialists and interrogators, air force air traffic controllers, and marine corps counter-intelligence specialists.
(More ... US counts cost of sacked gay soldiers - World - www.theage.com.au) ¶ 19:33
