The Beginning of the End

Yeah, DADT has been repealed legislatively. And even signed by the President. But, as today's Washington Post points out, there's a lot left to do.

Pentagon officials are working quickly on a three-part plan: overhauling applicable military personnel policy and benefits; providing training for top brass and military chaplains; and then formally instructing the nation's 2.2 million troops on the ban's repeal.

Troop training will be done "as expeditiously as we can," the secretary said, but it will prove challenging, because "there's just a certain element of physics associated with the number of people involved in this process."

Each of these changes takes a lot of coordination at many levels. In the Air Force at least, there has been annual training for all Airmen on the military's policy on homosexual conduct. That training is more extensive for certain personnel (JAGs, commanders). It's a good thing that this policy was repealed (IMHO), but the process of actually getting it implemented is not going to be very simple or quick. Stay tuned on this one and especially look out for the issue of how UCMJ Article 125 (sodomy) is handled. This has been a touchy issue in the past.