\SE A \HD Many nations bar gays from military \SH Comparisons mean little to experts \BY Bill Gertz \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Most countries either restrict homosexuals in the armed forces or discriminate against them unofficially, according to military experts. At least eight nations have an outright ban on homosexuals, and nine others have restrictions. At least eight have no restrictions on homosexuals. "If I had to generalize, most countries focus on conduct rather than orientation," said Lawrence Korb, a former Pentagon personnel official who favors ending the U.S. ban on homosexuals in the military. "While they don't ban homosexuals, they discriminate against them," said Mr. Korb, now with the Brookings Institution. A recent study on the issue produced by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), NATO's military command, reveals that 10 of the 15 NATO allies ban or place some restrictions on homosexuals in the military. Outside NATO, Russia and New Zealand also bar homosexuals from military service, and Austria, Israel and Japan impose restrictions. In Russia, soldiers caught in homosexual activity can be sentenced to prison terms of up to five years. Israel bars homosexual soldiers from intelligence and combat units and restricts all openly declared homosexual soldiers to bases where troops live in private housing. The SHAPE study of NATO countries shows that the United States, Britain, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Turkey have the most restrictive policies. Five of the NATO countries - Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway - have the most liberal policies toward homosexuals in the military. They view homosexuality as a "personal matter," according to the SHAPE report. In Italy, the armed forces "medically evaluate" homosexual conscripts and "if psychologically normal, they are declared eligible but not desirable, put on a special profile and sent home," the Nov. 19 report states. French armed forces deal with homosexual soldiers on a case-by-case basis and when complaints arise they are "encouraged to separate" from the service, the report states. No homosexual conscripts are accepted in France. Germany prohibits homosexual enlistees and conscripts, and if their orientation is discovered during the first four years of service they are discharged. After four years, homosexuals are disciplined for improper behavior. Belgium's policy is governed by a royal decree that regards homosexuality as "a psychological anomaly inconsistent with military service," the report states. Experts told The Washington Times it is difficult to make comparisons between the policies of the 1.8-million-member U.S. armed forces and foreign militaries. Cmdr. Eugene T. Gomulka, deputy chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps, said the foreign navies, for example, do not send ships to sea for months at a time like the U.S. Navy, where sailors must live in extremely close quarters. "Most foreign navies are no different than a coast guard," he said. "They go out for a week or two at most and do coastal defense. That's a critical distinction." Edward Luttwak, a military expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said foreign governments' experiences are "irrelevant" because of the uniqueness of American society. "Once it's not illegal, you will now have gay servicemen not accepting the rules of restraint and the penalties for being a nonconformist in military institutions that are highly conforming," Mr. Luttwak said. Other countries, like France and Israel, are more capable of offering tacit acceptance to homosexuals in the military because of differing cultural attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior, Mr. Luttwak said. Australia's military permits homosexuals but bars them from demanding separate facilities. But if the ban is lifted in the United States, homosexuals who are denied promotions will complain, legally, of discrimination and will demand separate facilities, Mr. Luttwak said. "American gays in the military, unlike their counterparts in foreign armies, are going to demand facilities, privileges, spousal rights . . .," he said. Promotions also are likely to become a legal battleground within the U.S. armed forces. "Once it's legal in the Marines to be gay, that doesn't mean that the ideal type of officer to be promoted will be a gay officer," Mr. Luttwak said. "So there will be discrimination, and instead of accepting it as a less popular way of life, they will go to court." Charles Moskos, a sociology professor at Northwestern University, said in a report to Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, Army chief of staff, that homosexuals are rarely assigned to combat or military units in Israel. "De facto, open gays in the Israeli Defense Forces are treated much in the manner of women soldiers, e.g. usually they reside in their homes, they are not allowed into combat units, and kept out of forward base areas," Mr. Moskos said. In Germany, homosexual draftees are permitted but most opt to serve in a civilian service known as Zivildienst. "By military regulations, openly gay soldiers cannot be promoted," Mr. Moskos said. "The rationale is that gays do not serve as proper leadership models. This restriction has been upheld by both military and civilian courts." Retired Army Col. William J. Taylor, also a CSIS military expert, said American military history, culture and force structure are "just plain different" than those of other countries. "To talk about what others do is not instructive for what we should do," Col. Taylor said. "When it comes to something like gays in the military, to look for comparisons is a waste of time," he said. "The American military, as an institution in this society, is very different than any other military establishment in the world." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM