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
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May 19
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9:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction
Peter W. Singer Former Brookings Expert, Strategist and Senior Fellow - New America -
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 ForcesMajor General Walter Semianiw Chief of Military Personnel, Canadian ForcesMajor General Simon VL Willis Former Head Defense Personnel Executive, Australian Army (ret.) -
11:00 a.m. - Panel 2: Scholarly Studies and Lessons Learned
Victoria Basham Assistant Professor, Exeter College, United KingdomDanny Kaplan Professor, Bar Ilan University, IsraelAlan Okros Professor, Canadian Forces CollegeMr. Karol Wenek Director General, Canadian Military PersonnelModerator: Nathaniel Frank Senior Fellow, The Palm Center -
1:30 p.m. - Panel 3: Command Experiences and Lessons Learned
Commander Luc Cassivi Canadian ForcesLieutenant Colonel Nick Grimshaw Canadian ForcesMajor Peter Kees Hamstra Royal Netherlands ArmyLieutenant Colonel Mick King Australian ArmyColonel Kees Matthijssen Royal Netherlands Army -
2:45 p.m. - Panel 4: Service Member Experiences and Lessons Learned
Commander Luc Cassivi Canadian ForcesMajor Peter Kees Hamstra Royal Netherlands ArmyMajor Wilco Mulder Royal Netherlands ArmyLeif Ohlson Swedish Armed ForcesLieutenant Commander Craig Jones Royal Navy (ret.)
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