On the morning of November 30, 2010, CNN ran the headline, “Pentagon: Letting openly gay troops serve won't hurt military” with the tagline, “little risk to repealing DADT ['Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell'].” Later that day, the Department of Defense released the “Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” In the few hours between CNN’s headline and the release, there were thousands of online comments and articles posted for public consumption. Rather than reading others’ opinions, I decided to read the lengthy report myself (which is supplemented by appendices and a Support Plan for Implementation). Given the amount of press and heated commentary on both sides of the repeal issue, DADT is an issue of national interest and social importance. But, in my reading, I wondered how repealing DADT would impact our nation’s colleges and universities?

(Photo right: ROTC members at the University of Washington stand at attention for a joint review. Source: Curtis Cronn, Flickr.)

DADT is of special interest to me since I entered active duty as a U.S. Army officer in 1993—the year DADT was implemented. I remain proud to have participated in ROTC during college, received a commission, and served my country in the Army. The U.S. military is amazing in many ways and provides opportunities to so many; I am grateful for what I learned in the Army and would not trade those years of service. But, I must admit that it would have been nice to have been open and proud during college and on active duty.

For those lacking time to read a 200+ page report, the Executive Summary is a quick read and addresses the bottom line: “Based on all [the committee] saw and heard, our assessment is that, when coupled with the prompt implementation of the recommendations we offer below, the risk of repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to overall military effectiveness is low.” It notes that “with a continued and sustained commitment to core values of leadership, professionalism, and respect for all … the U.S. military can adjust and accommodate this change, just as it has others in history” (italics added in both quotes). Keep in mind that the authors were asked to assess the impact of DADT repeal and how to implement the repeal should it occur, but were not asked whether to repeal DADT.

Read the rest after the jump...