Don’t ask, don’t tell policy

The World’s Katy Clark reports on how the US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is costing the US vital national security skills of gay service members.Listen

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LISA MULLINS: President Obama has made a point of reaching out to friends and even foes across the globe. He has reached out rhetorically, and linguistically. In Spanish:

[SOUND CLIP IN SPANISH]

LISA MULLINS: A little bit of Persian:

[SOUND CLIP IN PERSIAN]

LISA MULLINS: And Arabic:

[SOUND CLIP IN ARABIC]

LISA MULLINS: Now, the President may be doing more than offering respect to other nations, he may be setting an example for his own country. Since Mister Obama’s inauguration, the State Department, the CIA, and other federal agencies have tried to increase the number of foreign language speakers on staff. But the PENTAGON’S efforts to become multi-lingual are running up against an obstacle. It’s the policy known as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” The World’s Katy Clark explains.

KATY CLARK: Pashtu is the main language spoken in the mountainous region spanning the Afghan/Pakistan border. That’s where Osama Bin Laden may be hiding out, it’s also where many Taliban attacks are launched against US forces in Afghanistan. But both the State Department and CIA have struggled to find more Pashtu language specialists. Last month, CIA Director Leon

Panetta vowed to double the number of Pashtu speaking agents in the next five years. He also wants to boost the number of Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Urdu speakers. Language skills have certainly been useful in winning hearts and minds in Iraq. Just ask Dan Choi. Choi majored in Arabic at West Point. He spent 15 months in Iraq as an Infantry Officer.

DAN CHOI: I went into a city council meeting where I would talk to very influential sheiks in a tribal area and I would start off with a poem. I would say, [SPEAKS IN ARABIC].

KATY CLARK: Those words are written by the Iraqi poet, Al Mutanabbi, who lived more than a thousand years ago. Choi says everyone in Iraq knows this poem.

DAN CHOI: It talks about identity, and people knowing who you are. It’s a beautiful poem, and it goes a long way, because it’s the most famous Iraqi poem. And you have to show, number one that you are there to partner with the people, and that you’re not there just to change their culture.

KATY CLARK: Choi says he realized how useful his Arabic was in making friends and showing respect for the Iraqi people. He also speaks fluent Korean, and after leaving active duty last year, he took up Persian. Choi is now at the New York Army National Guard. Considering the two-thirds of the New York Guard Force has deployed abroad since nine eleven, chances were pretty good Choi would have served overseas again. But that’s unlikely now. About the same time, the CIA and State Department were reporting shortages of linguists, Choi declared he was gay. That’s not a problem in other government agencies, but it is in the military. Choi now faces discharge under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” That policy prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the armed forces. Choi’s case goes before a review board tomorrow. If his discharge goes through, Choi will join the ranks of more than 13,000 military personnel who’ve been released under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” That, since the policy went into effect during the Clinton Administration. More than 300 of those discharged have been linguists, 60 of them speakers of Arabic. Daniel Byman teaches security studies at Georgetown University.

DANIEL BYMAN: We desperately need more of these people, and idea we would be dismissing some because of a lifestyle is absurd in my view, and quite dangerous to us national security.

KATY CLARK: But a spokesman for Dan Choi’s own National Guard Force says there are other ways for soldiers to overcome the language barrier. What’s more, says Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fanning of the New York National Guard, knowing a foreign language is only a small part of achieving security objectives.

PAUL FANNING: There are many skills that National Guard citizen soldiers bring to bare. Language skills are among them, but not the only ones. It crosses the field. And I saw it worked for us on the ground in Afghanistan in so many different. We used an awful lot of local nationals, as in Afghans, as our interpreters. And in one case, we actually had a naturalized immigrant from Afghanistan who was serving in the New York National Guard, who was also on the ground with us over there.

KATY CLARK: But there’s no question that the military values foreign language learning among its own. Since 2001, the Pentagon has increased spending for its Primary Language Institute by more than three fold. Even if someone like Dan Choi, who speaks three critical foreign languages was viewed indispensable, it probably wouldn’t matter. The military goes by the book. The board reviewing his case tomorrow will quote “consider whether or not Lieutenant Choi should have his Federal recognition for his officer’s commission withdrawn for moral, professional dereliction, as a violation of the personal code in effect by Federal Law.” In other words, by saying he was gay, did Choi break the rules? Choi thinks the board’s decision is a foregone conclusion.

DAN CHOI: On June 30th, I’ll find out if the board of officers says that because you were honest about who you are, we are finding that’s grounds enough to fire you. So I’ll be completely unemployed at that point.

KATY CLARK: At least in the civilian world, he’ll have his language skills to fall back on. For The World, this Kate Clark.

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