Lessons Learned from the Service of Gays and Lesbians in Allied Militaries
In the weeks ahead, Congress and the Pentagon will review the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, weighing the future service of gays and lesbians in the U.S. military. While U.S. officials are still discussing policy options, several nations allied with the United States have already implemented inclusive policies that allow homosexuals to serve openly while maintaining their military’s operational effectiveness. How were the policies of the other nations implemented and what lessons can be drawn from their experiences?
On May 19, the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings and the University of California Santa Barbara’s Palm Center hosted military officers and experts from Australia, Britain, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands and Sweden to explore their militaries’ experiences in implementing these policy changes. The conference sought to inform the discussion of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by exploring how exactly their militaries transitioned to allowing openly gay service members and what insights they might provide to the United States on this issue. The event included four panels that explored the key questions, ranging from ministerial-level perspectives all the way down to tactical unit commanders’ experiences.
After each panel, panelists took audience questions.
Agenda
9:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction
9:45 a.m. - Panel 1: Ministerial Policy Experiences and Lessons Learned
Lieutenant Commander Craig Jones
Royal Navy (ret.)
Ori Kapra
Research Specialist - Center for Behavioral Sciences, Israel Defense Forces
Major General Walter Semianiw
Chief of Military Personnel, Canadian Forces
Major General Simon VL Willis
Former Head Defense Personnel Executive, Australian Army (ret.)
Aaron Belkin
Director - The Palm Center
11:00 a.m. - Panel 2: Scholarly Studies and Lessons Learned
Victoria Basham
Assistant Professor, Exeter College, United Kingdom
Danny Kaplan
Professor, Bar Ilan University, Israel
Alan Okros
Professor, Canadian Forces College
Mr. Karol Wenek
Director General, Canadian Military Personnel
Moderator: Nathaniel Frank
Senior Fellow, The Palm Center
1:30 p.m. - Panel 3: Command Experiences and Lessons Learned
Commander Luc Cassivi
Canadian Forces
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Grimshaw
Canadian Forces
Major Peter Kees Hamstra
Royal Netherlands Army
Lieutenant Colonel Mick King
Australian Army
Colonel Kees Matthijssen
Royal Netherlands Army
2:45 p.m. - Panel 4: Service Member Experiences and Lessons Learned
Commander Luc Cassivi
Canadian Forces
Major Peter Kees Hamstra
Royal Netherlands Army
Major Wilco Mulder
Royal Netherlands Army
Leif Ohlson
Swedish Armed Forces
Lieutenant Commander Craig Jones
Royal Navy (ret.)
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