Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the military has too much on its plate right now to alter the policy of relieving openly gay service members from duty.
UPDATE 3/31/09: Obama "supports eventual repeal" of current policy
UPDATE 4/08/09: 1,050 retired military officers, including 47 four-star leaders, sign letter to Obama requesting homosexual ban be retained
-- From "Administration Delays Change to Military's 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Policy" by Bill Sammon, FOXNews.com 3/29/09
A change to the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays in the military will be delayed despite promises by the Obama administration to overturn the rule, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.
In January, President Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, was asked whether his boss would overturn "don't ask, don't tell.” Gibbs' reply . . . "You don't hear politicians give a one-word answer much. But it's 'Yes,'" Gibbs said.
But Gates now says the Pentagon will continue to enforce the existing policy, which bars service members from proclaiming their sexual orientation and commanding officers from asking about it. However, the policy states that if it becomes known that a service member is gay, he or she is to be removed from the military.
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