New Training Rules Set on Military ‘Don’t Ask’ Policy

The Pentagon moved Tuesday to strengthen its controversial homosexual conduct policy with a new training program that calls for troops to receive instruction repeatedly and uniformly across the services.

Six months after the beating death of an alleged gay soldier thrust the subject again into the national spotlight, defense officials issued rules that call for briefings on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy as soon as troops enter boot camp and later in refresher courses.

Other personnel, including military lawyers and commanders, will receive additional instruction, the Pentagon said..

Military officials have developed a patchwork of programs since the “don’t ask” policy was adopted six years ago.

Yet many troops have said that they receive little or no instruction on the policy and that it gets far less attention than, for example, guidance on such issues as equal opportunity, treatment of women and safety. Gay advocates have argued that this lack of understanding has led to mistreatment and harassment of homosexual service members.

The military’s “don’t ask” policy says that homosexuals may serve in the military, provided they do not say that they are homosexual and commit no homosexual acts. It says that the military will not investigate homosexuals without good reason and bars harassment.

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, in a statement, said that the new rules “make it very clear . . . there is no room for harassment or threats in the military.”

What has changed, said Kenneth H. Bacon, chief Pentagon spokesman, is not the policy but “the emphasis that’s being given to the policy. . . . This is a priority of all the services.”

The new training program has been under development in the aftermath of the beating death of Pfc. Barry Winchell at the Army’s Fort Campbell, Ky. Winchell’s death ignited new controversy over the policy.

The issue has emerged as an important point of contention in the 2000 election campaign. Both Vice President Al Gore and former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey have vowed to open the services fully to gays and lesbians.

President Clinton declared in an interview in December that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is “way out of whack now and I don’t think any serious person can say it’s not.”

Nonetheless, Cohen, who has ordered his inspector general to investigate implementation of the policy, has said he is working on the assumption that it is fundamentally sound.

In recent days, the Army has been warning commands around the world that the new training program was on its way and letting officers know that they must adopt a new attitude.

“Leaders all over the post are being warned to watch what they say and not even to make any jokes,” said an officer at one U.S. installation. “It’s almost like when you check into an airline now. Not only can you not have a bomb, you can’t joke about having a bomb.”

One gay rights advocacy group that has been closely involved in the issue hailed the Pentagon’s move.

“We’re glad that they’ve taken these steps,” said C. Dixon Osburn, co-executive director of the Service Members Legal Defense Network, which advises troops who get in trouble with the military.

Meanwhile, defense officials disclosed that the number of discharges of service members for homosexuality declined last year for the first time since the “don’t ask” policy was begun.

For the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the number of discharges declined to 1,034, from 1,145, a change of 9%. Defense officials did not offer an explanation for the drop.

The trend has been a matter of some dispute.

Gay advocates say it shows that the military is not hospitable to homosexual troops, even when they follow the rules. But some military officials contend that it stems at least in part from the fact that service members can get out of the military quickly and without an unfavorable discharge if they declare themselves to be homosexual.