Center for Military Readiness

The Center for Military Readiness is tax-exempt, non-profit organization founded by Elaine Donnelly which opposes the service of gay people and favors limiting the positions open to women in the United States military.

The Center was established in 1993 following the implementation of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy under President Bill Clinton. It is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. Its Board members include Allan C. Carlson, Frank Gaffney, David Horowitz, Frederick Kroesen, John Lenczowski, Kate O'Beirne, Phyllis Schlafly, Carlisle Trost, Claudius E. Watts III, Faith Whittlesey, and Walter E. Williams, among others. Other members at large have included Linda Chavez, Beverly LaHaye, and Wally Schirra.

It opposes allowing gay persons to serve in the military and aims to limit the number of women in the military as well as the positions open to them. Founder and president Donnelly has argued that "[w]omen in combat units endanger male morale and military performance." A 2004 study of the role of women in the U.S. military called it "the most significant organization... representing the interests of individuals opposed to the expansion of women's military opportunities that might affect troop readiness."

It published a report that alleged that the Navy showed favoritism toward one of the first female combat pilots during training. The pilot subsequently brought a suit for defamation against the Center, but lost because the court determined that, by virtue of her status as one of the first women to attempt to qualify as a carrier combat pilot, she was a "public figure" and needed to prove malice on the part of those who published the charge of favoritism.

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