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Friday, October 29, 2010
CMR Requests Investigation of Pentagon "Leak" on Gays-in-Military Survey
According to the AP and the Washington Post, an unnamed Pentagon source has claimed that the recent Defense Department survey of 400,000 active-duty and reserve troops found that a majority would not object if they are required to accept professed homosexuals in the military following repeal of the current law.
‘Don’t Ask’ Survey: Majority OK Serving With Openly Gay Troops, Sources Say
In response, CMR President Elaine Donnelly sent an email to Mr. Jeh Johnson, Co-Chair of the Pentagon's "Comprehensive Review Working Group" (CRWG), asking him to investigate the incident and to prevent it from happening again.
Donnelly noted that the CRWG survey instrument sent to 400,000 active-duty and reserve personnel had omitted the key question, Should the 1993 law be retained or repealed? "It is therefore irresponsible and wrong," she wrote, "to make deceptive, surreptitious statements to the media on the results of the missing question."
Sources have told CMR that opposition to repeal was consistently strong during focus groups conducted by CRWG officials, even though participants were not allowed to discuss the key question: Should the 1993 law be retained or repealed? They were only asked to come up with ways to "mitigate" problems expected to ensue.
Leaders of the Center for Military Readiness and other organizations affiliated with the Military Culture Coalition met with Mr. Johnson for the second time in the Pentagon on September 16.
This is Donnelly's message to Mr. Johnson, sent on the afternoon of Friday, October 29:
Hello Jeh,
I read today’s Washington Post article reporting a "leak" about the DoD military survey. We have been predicting for some time that the administration would selectively release incomplete information in order to manage perceptions and to help President Obama to repeal the law. I was hoping to be wrong; apparently I was not.
I trust that you will investigate this incident and prevent it from happening again. It is wrong for any Pentagon official, knowing that the CRWG survey instrument omitted the key question, to make deceptive, surreptitious statements to the media on that same question, Should the 1993 law be retained or repealed?
That inquiry was not included in any of the survey instruments distributed and/or sponsored by the DoD and the CRWG. An irresponsible, unaccountable person nevertheless is claiming that military people answered the missing question with responses that support repeal of the 1993 law.
As we discussed weeks ago, my sources tell me that opposition to repeal was consistently strong during the focus group discussions, even though participants were not allowed to discuss the key question: Should the 1993 law be retained or repealed? They were only asked to come up with ways to “mitigate” problems expected to ensue.
I would appreciate it if you would inform all DoD and CRWG spokesmen (and women) that premature comments and unsupported speculation about the views of military people on retention or repeal of the 1993 law are not appropriate and will not be tolerated.
I look forward to your response.
Regards,
Elaine Donnelly
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