Navy and Marine Corps Officers' attitudes toward the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy

Abstract

The present research seeks to identify trends in the attitudes of Navy and Marine Corps officers toward the policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), which was enacted in 1993 and bars homosexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military. The study includes a survey of Navy and Marine Corps officers, administered in October through November 2010 at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). The study replicates similar research conducted at NPS in 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2004. Data analysis focuses on identifying trends in attitudinal changes over the past 17 years. Survey results show that a majority of Navy and Marine Corps officers in 2010 support allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the armed forces. Additionally, trend analyses suggest that acceptance of homosexuals in the military has steadily increased since the first study was conducted. The NPS project tracks the entire history of DADT, and the findings should prove useful to scholars, military leaders, and policy makers when the repeal of DADT is implemented.