Military Meat

U.S. Military Would Add 4,000 Troops Per Year If 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy Were Lifted

A new research brief from the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy finds that an estimated 4,000 lesbian, gay, and bisexual military personnel have been lost each year because of the United States military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy.

The analysis shows that had the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy not been instituted in 1994, an estimated 4,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel would have been retained each year. Of that group, an average of 1,000 men and women were discharged each year as a direct result of the policy and 3,000 would likely stay in the military if they could serve openly.