Early reports on the Pentagon’s survey of the troops on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” were nothing but roses for repeal supporters, but the details of the survey complicate that narrative somewhat. While only 20% of troops who have never been deployed to a combat zone say that repeal of DADT would “very negatively” or “negatively” affect their “immediate unit’s effectiveness at completing its mission,” more than 44% of combat troops say repeal would have a negative impact on unit effectiveness:
Update: The report also says that “67% of those in Marine combat arms units”–i.e. infantry, artillery, armor–“predict working alongside a gay man or lesbian will have a negative effect on their unit’s effectiveness in completing its mission ‘in a field environment or out at sea.'”
About 11% of all combat troops surveyed said repeal would “positively” or “very positively” affect performance, while 19% said repeal would have “no effect.” Another 26% of combat troops surveyed said repeal’s affect wold be “equally as positively as negatively.” These troops–who see both negative and positive effects of repeal–are lumped together with those who believe it will have “no effect” under the survey’s “neutral” category.
Spartan living conditions on combat zones may be one reason why combat troops see repeal more negatively than non-combat troops do. Later on in the report, we learn that respondents were most concerned with sleeping/showering arrangements:
“I tend to consider myself a fairly open-minded individual however I would still have some issues with being forced to shower and/or live in extremely close quarters (e.g. ship’s berthing) with a gay service member.”
“I believe that most service personnel will have no major issues with working with openly gay individuals but will have issues if forced to share bathing and close living quarters.”
The need to address the housing and showering arrangements was also the most frequently raised implementation issue in this sample of comments.
The report’s authors dismiss concerns that troops would have to shower with those who may be sexually attracted to them as wrongful stereotyping:
The report will be hotly debated as the Senate Armed Services Committee holds hearings on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on Thursday and Friday.
