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Military Journal Piece Scraps Gay Ban

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An upcoming issue of Joint Force Quarterly, the Pentagon's top scholarly journal, will include an article that calls for an end to the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, reports The Boston Globe.

The piece, which is authored by Air Force colonel Om Prakash, charges that "the military is essentially forcing thousands of gay men and women to lead dishonest lives in an organization that emphasizes integrity as a fundamental tenet," according to the Globe.

Colonel Prakash argues that the Obama administration should forgo a study of "don't ask, don't tell" and simply move forward with lifting the ban.

"After a careful examination, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly," writes Prakash, who is now working in the office of Defense secretary Robert M. Gates. "Based on this research, it is not time for the administration to reexamine the issue; rather it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban."

Neither Defense secretary Robert Gates nor Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have spoken out publicly about their views on the policy, though both have said that President Barack Obama has been clear about his intent to end the ban. Secretary Gates is currently reviewing the policy to see if there's a way to soften implementation of the ban until Congress repeals the law.

Observers of the debate over "don't ask, don't tell" say the publication of such an article is an indication that military leadership is open to hearing competing views on the topic.

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