The White Falcon - 30.07.1993, Blaðsíða 2

DoD policy on homosexuality
The Department of Defense has long held
that, as a general rule, homosexuality is in-
compatible with military service because it
interferes with the factors critical to combat
effectiveness, including unit morale, unit
cohesion, and individual privacy. Neverthe-
less, the Department of Defense also recog-
nizes that individuals with a homosexual
orientation have served with distinction in
the armed services of the United States.
Therefore, it is the policy of the Depart-
ment of Defense to judge the suitability of
persons to serve in the Armed Forces on the
basis of their conduct. Homosexual conduct
will be grounds for separation from the mili-
tary services. Sexual orientation is consid-
ered a personal and private matter, and
homosexual orientation is not a bar to service
entry or continued service unless manifested
by homosexual conduct.
As directed by the President:
Applicants for military service will not be
asked or required to reveal their sexual orien-
tation. Applicants will be informed of acces-
sion and separation policy.
Service members will be separated for
homosexual conduct. Commanders and in-
vestigating agencies will not initiate inquir-
ies or investigations solely to determine a
member’s sexual orientation. Service mem-
bers will not be asked or required to reveal
their sexual orientation. However, command-
ers will continue to initiate inquiries or inves-
tigations, as appropriate, when there is cred-
ible information that a basis for discharge or
disciplinary action exists. Authority to initi-
ate inquiries and investigations involving
homosexual conduct shall be limited to com-
manders. Commanders will consider, in al-
locating scarce investigative resources, that
sexual orientation is a personal and private
matter. They will investigate allegations of
violations of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice in an evenhanded manner without
regard to whether the conduct alleged is
heterosexual or homosexual or whether it
occurs on base or off base. Commanders
remain responsible for ensuring that investi-
gations are conducted properly and that any
abuse of authority is addressed.
The constraints of military service require
service members to keep certain aspects of
their personal lives private for the benefit of
the group. Our personnel policies will be
clearly stated and implemented in accordance
with due process of law.
Commanders remain responsible for main-
taining good order and discipline. Harass-
ment of violence against other service mem-
bers will not be tolerated.
Homosexual conduct is a homosexual act,
a statement by the service member that dem-
onstrates a propensity or intent to engage in
homosexual acts, or a homosexual marriage
or attempted marriage.
A statement by a service member that he or
she is homosexual or bisexual creates a rebut-
table presumption that the service member is
engaging in homosexual acts or has a propen-
sity or intent to do so. The service member
has the opportunity to present evidence that
he does not engage in homosexual acts and
does not have a propensity or intent to do so.
The evidence will be assessed by the relevant
separation authority.
A homosexual act includes any bodily con-
tact, actively undertaken or passively permit-
ted, between members of the same sex for the
purpose of satisfying sexual desires or any
bodily contact which a reasonable person
wouid understand to demonstrate a propen-
sity or intent to engage in homosexual acts.
Sexual orientation is a sexual attraction to
individuals of a particular sex.
The interim policy and administrative
separation procedures that I established on
Feb. 3,1993, will remain in effect until Oct.
1, 1993. Secretaries of the military depart-
ments and reasonable officials within the
office of the Secretary of Defense shall, by
Oct. 1, 1993, take such actions as may be
necessary to cany out the purposes of this
directive. Secretaries of the military depart-
ments will ensure that all members of the
Armed Forces are aware of their specific
responsibilites in carrying out this new pol-
icy. This guidance creates no substantive or
procedural rights. Any changes to existing
policies shall be prospective only.
Why is security
MY job?
Note: This is part two of a series by
TSgt. Charles Matthews, 35TH Security 1
Police Squadron, Flightline Constable.
Many of us could probably describe
our day-to-day jobs as mundane, with
nothing particularly exciting unless a
heavy load of mail arrives from the states.
Sometimes that occasional small dose of
activity would rather be forgotten.
Consider these cases from other installa-
tions:
At Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, a contract
grass cutter found an unattended pack-
age in a vacant field near a base entry
point. Besides papers and official mili-
tary orders in the case, Security Police
found a bomb which local police later
defused.
USAF Thunderbirds recently per-
formed at Selfridge Air National Guard
Base where one of their F-16sparked cm
an inactive taxiway. A twenty-one year
old MWR employee driving at approxi-
mately 70 miles per hour with his head-
lights out rammed into the aircraft kill-
ing himself and seriously damaging the
aircraft.
Security Police at Holloman AFB i
discovered a broken altitude indicator*
broken UHF radio knobs, and other dam-
aged instruments on a transient C-141
aircraft.
These unfortunate situations all oc-
cured very recently at low-threat state-
side bases not even close to one another.
Why can't the blame be cast on any one
individual?
1. Nobody saw these things as they
happened.
2. Other mitigating circumstances ag-
gravated the situation.
3. Security is everyone’s business.
Of course, if you had been at anyone
of these bases when the hostilities oc-
cured, nobody would have imagined
anything could happen. It was just
another mundane day.
nieWhite Falcon
Commander, Iceland Defense Force
RADM Michael D. Haskins
Public AfTairs Officer
LT Joseph L. Quimby
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Fridth6r Kr. Eydal
Draftsman
DM2 Danielle J. Kin:
Editor
J02 Carlos Bongioanni
Journalist
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
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