Defense Force Management

Since World War II, U.S. military policy has banned gays and lesbians from serving in the armed forces. The Defense Department (DOD) expelled an average of 1,500 men and women each year during the 1980s because of allegations of homosexuality. Most of those expelled were enlisted personnel, typically white males; such discharges have been routinely upheld by the military and the courts. The recruiting and training costs associated with replacing discharged homosexuals are estimated at about $28,000 for enlisted personnel and more than $120,000 for each officer. In considering the total costs for these discharges, however, additional factors like out-processing and court costs should be included. Information on the costs of investigating homosexuality in the military are unavailable, although during a five-year period, DOD did more than 3,600 investigations. Most leading psychiatric and psychological groups in the United States view DOD's policy as factually unsupported, unfair, and counterproductive. Further, two of DOD's own studies have refuted the military's position that homosexuals are potential security risks and have raised questions about the basic policy. The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have likewise acknowledged that homosexuality is no longer a major security concern. Further, the public has become more accepting of gays serving in the military, some U.S. allies have policies allowing homosexuals in the military, and employment barriers to gays have been removed at police and fire departments in major U.S. cities without affecting their basic missions. The supplement provides statistics and details on the characteristics of individuals discharged for homosexuality, discharge rates for gays and lesbians in the various services, and cases investigated by DOD's criminal investigative agencies.

GAO provided detailed information on: (1) the composition of active military personnel; (2) personnel discharged for homosexuality by race, gender, rank, and occupational code; (3) the discharge rates for homosexuality by race and gender along with rates of representation in the military force; (4) cases involving homosexuality investigated by the military services' criminal investigative agencies; and (5) average years of service and pay grades for personnel discharged from the military for homosexuality.