SANTA BARBARA—Israel Defense Force and NATO member militaries will meet at The Palm Center as part of a summit of officials whose forces allow gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military.

 A 1993 report surveyed the impact of open military service in Israel, Britain, Canada and Australia. This study on foreign militaries, conducted by the Government Accountability Office, cited that “military officials in all four countries said that the presence of homosexuals in the military is not an issue and has not created problems in the functioning of military units.”

The Palm Center is to release a new study on gays and lesbians in foreign militaries. It will include an analysis of the South African Defense Force, whose ban on open servitude was dropped in 1998.

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