American Morning
Ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
According to Pentagon sources, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is prepared to ask for up to a year to study the best way to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Today's hearing on Capitol Hill comes on the heels of one key sentence in the president's State of the Union address last week.
This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.
We were joined on Tuesday's American Morning by Alex Nicholson, the executive director of Servicemembers United, an advocacy group that opposes the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Nicholson is a former Army intelligence officer who was dismissed for being gay.
Read more: Plan to abandon 'don't ask, don't tell' to go before panel
The cost of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
By Carol Costello and Ronni Berke
Gay advocates are hoping that on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil a new approach to the current policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which was put in place in 1993. More than 13,500 service members have been discharged under the law since 1994, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group seeking its repeal.
Critics say there are unseen and stiff costs involved in simply applying the law. The Government Accountability Office says "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" cost taxpayers $190.5 million dollars over its first ten years. However, a blue ribbon panel commissioned by the Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara faulted the GAO figure as too low. The panel, which included former Defense Secretary William Perry, put the price tag at $363.7 million – factoring in the cost to recruit, train and then discharge gay troops.
"Repealing the ban would save money in the long run, absolutely," said Nathaniel Frank, senior fellow at the Palm Center. "We've spent roughly half a billion dollars kicking out competent gay people that we badly need just under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'" But some who support the current law say the cost doesn't justify repealing it.
"The discharge of 13,000 or so people is miniscule in comparison to the overall administrative burden the military pays every year – discharging 280,000 people a year," says retired Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, who works as a Pentagon consultant.
Related: Sources: Joint Chiefs set to review 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy
Obama calls for 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal
Washington (CNN) - President Obama said Wednesday night he will work with Congress and the military to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars gays and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces.
Obama made the remark in his first State of the Union speech during a short litany of civil rights issues, which included his successful hate crimes bill, a move to "crack down on equal-pay laws" and improvement of the immigration system.
"We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it," he said.
"We must continually renew this promise. My administration has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate," he said.
"This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."
A Soldier's Story: Army recruit blogs on Christmas leave
Editor's Note: We're tracking three recruits from their final days as civilians through to deployment. It's an unprecedented look inside the life of a soldier. This is a blog written exclusively for CNN by Army recruit Will McLain as part of the American Morning original series, "A Soldier's Story."
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/12/04/will.mclain.cnn.art.jpg caption="Army recruit Will McLain is home on Christmas leave from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri."]
By Will McLain
I've been through a month of boot camp so far and it's been a huge change. You rapidly learn the protocol and it becomes a way of life.
It's kind of sad at first because you start missing everyone and the fun times you had, but you just have to remember the reason for leaving. For me, it's to make a good life for me and to be able to retire young, hopefully with a family.
Through boot, naturally there is a lot of screaming and push-ups, but you know it's what's going to keep you alive later. Also, with all the courses you do, it helps develop a strong sense of confidence in your abilities and an even stronger sense of trust in your partners and teammates.
I'm also lucky enough to be part of the cycle to get Christmas leave. It's two weeks long, which is short to me, but it's great to be able to see all the friends and family that I missed. I even got to see one of the biggest people in my life who was visiting from Texas – my best friend Kayla.
The other plus is it gives you time to relax and recuperate a little. I run and still do some PT in the morning so I don't go back out of shape and suffer again. That's not really a worry to me, just something I don't want to risk.
I'd say my one worry I do have is I don't want to end up coming home next time I'm on leave to see all the old friends gone. But out of the things I enjoy the most, it's for sure being home for Christmas and then being able to spend New Years with friends.
WSJ: Militants used $26 software to hack U.S. drones
There's a new report out today that says militants were able to hack one of the most effective weapons in finding and killing al Qaeda members. Insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan were reportedly able to intercept live video feeds from U.S. unmanned drones, allowing them to see on the ground what the drones were seeing in the air.
On Thursday's American Morning we spoke with the reporter who broke this story, Wall Street Journal Intelligence Correspondent Siobhan Gorman.
WSJ: Insurgents hack U.S. drones
By Siobhan Gorman, Yochi J. Dreazen and August Cole
From The Wall Street Journal
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/12/17/predator.drone.art.gi.jpg caption="U.S. enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan have used off-the-shelf programs to intercept video feeds from Predator unmanned aircraft."]
WASHINGTON - Militants in Iraq have used $26 off-the-shelf software to intercept live video feeds from U.S. Predator drones, potentially providing them with information they need to evade or monitor U.S. military operations.
Senior defense and intelligence officials said Iranian-backed insurgents intercepted the video feeds by taking advantage of an unprotected communications link in some of the remotely flown planes' systems. Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber - available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet - to regularly capture drone video feeds, according to a person familiar with reports on the matter.
U.S. officials say there is no evidence that militants were able to take control of the drones or otherwise interfere with their flights. Still, the intercepts could give America's enemies battlefield advantages by removing the element of surprise from certain missions and making it easier for insurgents to determine which roads and buildings are under U.S. surveillance.
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