Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Armed Services Committee chairman, last week wrote Defense Secretary Bob Gates, asking him to clarify the intent of a working group reviewing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Levin asked if it was “to determine ‘whether’ to repeal the statute or is it to assess the issues related to ‘how’ to implement a repeal?” In his May 6 reply, Gates recalled his Feb.2 testimony in which he said, “The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change but how we … best prepare for it.” He wrote that the review effort “is charged with assessing the impact of repealing 10 USC 654 and developing a plan to implement such a repeal in the most informed and effective manner possible.” He continued, writing that the outcome was meant “to fully inform both Presidential and Congressional decision-making.” (Levin letter; Gates’ response)
A new survey found that record rates of Active-duty military spouses want to leave the military community, with a large number of them frustrated by the difficulty of finding employment, child care, and reimbursement for moving costs after a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move.