'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Will Take Time To Enact, Says Pentagon

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates is reminding troops that "don't ask, don't tell" will remain military policy for at least a while longer, despite a historic Senate vote on Saturday to overturn it.

Under the bill approved by a Senate vote of 65-31, the president and Pentagon must first certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' ability to fight. After that, the military will undergo a 60-day wait period before any changes are made.

In a statement, Gates said he will begin the process immediately. But, he added, certification won't come until after "careful consultation" with the military service chiefs and combatant commanders.

Comments

[Little Kiwi]

11:51 PM on 12/22/2010

more honesty, less "ham biscuits" , Senator Lindsey Graham.

we all know what Ham Biscuits is Southern gay slang for right?

HAM BISCUITS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTP3eUyOkoE

[Ioan Lightoller]

01:41 PM on 12/20/2010

I wonder how long it took to integrate the military once the order came down?

THis is just another way for the bigots to drag this out as long as humanly possible. Sad, but par for the course.

[meko]

02:02 PM on 12/19/2010

This is why we have to keep pressuring the Commander in Chief. He ran on repeal of DADT, it's not as if he could have avoided the news that it was being pushed through both congress and the courts. In fact, many believe Judge Phillips ruling was the beginning of the end for DADT so Obama appealed it in order to buy time for congress to have their little farce and try to take credit

So he knew it was coming. Why hasn't there been a commission to make recommendations on updating the UCMJ already? What are the certification and implementation deadlines? When will full open service be allowed?

These are the vital questions. We need to stop kicking the can down the road. It's time for the Commander in Chief to take up the baton that Congress handed him when passing this legislation and finish the job.

[carmenjonze]

03:28 PM on 12/19/2010

None of your posts would ever pass Occam's Razor. But yes do keep spinning these silly conspiracy theories. If anything, they're very entertaining.

[unimatrix0]

12:26 PM on 12/19/2010

Congress made it law, how in the world can you justify an order that says "if you learn someone is gay, don't start discharge paper work".
Wow, what if congress declared war, would that take time to implement, or would they get on that ASAP?

[carmenjonze]

03:29 PM on 12/19/2010

Didn't you read the law that was passed? The bill was pretty explicit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.4023:

[disintaGreatNation]

11:02 AM on 12/19/2010

Premature jubilation, much?

[carmenjonze]

03:34 PM on 12/19/2010

Not for people who actually sat down and read the 2-page legislation.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.4023:

[Hysterian68]

01:12 AM on 12/19/2010

“Gates said he will begin the process immediatel­­y. But, he added, certificat­­ion won't come until after "careful consultati­­on" with the military service chiefs and combatant commanders­­."

Like these same clowns who lost Vietnam, needlessly lost over 4000 U.S. lives in Iraq, and are losing Afghanista­­n and Pakistan have had how many DECADES to carefully "consult"?”

[jimmo]

01:09 AM on 12/19/2010

"(c) No Immediate Effect on Current Policy- Section 654 of title 10, United States Code, shall remain in effect until such time that all of the requirements and certifications required by subsection (b) are met. If these requirements and certifications are not met, section 654 of title 10, United States Code, shall remain in effect."

This sounds like they are trying to slow walk this bill, or outright resist the new law.

[carmenjonze]

03:34 PM on 12/19/2010

They, who?

[jg6544]

12:15 AM on 12/19/2010

Once the President has signed repeal into law, it will be very, very difficult for the Pentagon to prolong implementation of the process. There simply is no justification for continuing the policy now beyone an implementation period of, say, 12 months. Also, the President can clearly order that all prosecutions and expulsions cease immediately.

The pressure now is on the likes of the Commandant of the Marine Corps either to fall into line and comply with the law and the chain of command or to resign his commission.

[carmenjonze]

03:36 PM on 12/19/2010

The pressure now is on the likes of the Commandant of the Marine Corps either to fall into line and comply with the law and the chain of command or to resign his commission­.

__________Nice catch. I have been trying to say for the past 20 hours, it's going to take some wrangling because all 4 branches of the military have to be on board. Forget that it's party of the bill that was voted on yesterday, common sense dictates this is the case.

[thinkagain2]

11:45 PM on 12/18/2010

I still don't understand the difficulty in simply stopping to prosecute people. You're doing today. Tomorrow you won't do it any more. As you were and on with your mission. Period.

[carmenjonze]

11:51 PM on 12/18/2010

No, that's not what was in the bill voted on today, not even close. Please read the bill. It's very short http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.4023:

[triplettam]

11:43 PM on 12/18/2010

Well, they need to wait. I'm sure it's going to take Fred Phelps and his Merry Band of Pranksters a little while to find an al-Qaeda cell to join so that they can kill soldiers now instead of just protesting at their funerals. What's important is that--no matter what they have to "implement"--no one can be discharged after the bill is signed because they were found out to be gay. And as far as enlisting goes: There's really no need that I see for someone to come in and proclaim they're gay right off the bat. I mean, why would they? So, once they're enlisted, they're enlisted. What's DOD planning on doing? "Implementing" separate barracks? It's a good day. I'm not let anything ruin it.

[GabeSmall]

11:28 PM on 12/18/2010

The military has SOPs for literally everything they do, down to the last detail. Rolling out new SOPs takes time no matter how efficient and well-prepared you are. It's not foot-dragging, it's bureaucracy.

[FEngels]

11:08 PM on 12/18/2010

If it was wrong to ever do this, to discriminate in this way, then why must we take two more months until these brave men and women are allowed to taste the justice that has eluded them for so long?

If it was wrong a year ago then it is still wrong to enforce what has now been repealed.

There is no justification to wait.

At the very least, I pray that no more soldiers will be discharged in the interim for being who they are and letting others know it.

[carmenjonze]

11:24 PM on 12/18/2010

If it was wrong to ever do this, to discrimina­te in this way, then why must we take two more months until these brave men and women are allowed to taste the justice that has eluded them for so long?

__________Because that's what was in the bill, and that's what was voted on. You should read what was voted on http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.4023:

[meko]

02:18 PM on 12/19/2010

It's not just two more months. It's two more months after the President and the Joint Chiefs certify.

The President hasn't even started a commission to recommend revisions to the UCMJ as a result of DADT, so it could be months before the certification. It could be over a year. It all depends on how much of a priority the President makes it.

And the White House has not committed to stopping investigations yet. That's why the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network continues to repeat the warning, "DO NOT COME OUT. DADT is still the law."

[carmenjonze]

03:32 PM on 12/19/2010

That's why the Servicemem­bers Legal Defense Network continues to repeat the warning, "DO NOT COME OUT. DADT is still the law."

___________The SLDN rightly had to come out with that statement, because the willy-nilly pseudo-activist iPhone revolutionaries on our side DO NOT READ, and have not READ the law which was voted on and passed. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.4023:

[Cleo Creech]

10:55 PM on 12/18/2010

I have to wonder about Sec. 2(d) of the bill. The bit that seems to indicate that a legally married same sex spouse wouldn't be eligible for any sort of benefits.

"(d) Benefits- Nothing in this section, or the amendments made by this section, shall be construed to require the furnishing of benefits in violation of section 7 of title 1, United States Code (relating to the definitions of `marriage' and `spouse' and referred to as the `Defense of Marriage Act')."

It's interesting they felt the need to include that. That shows just how callous congress can be though in that they would actually deny the legal spouse of a war hero any benefits? Would a legally married same sex spouse be denied military housing? not even be able to live with their loved one?

[Turtlenews]

11:02 PM on 12/18/2010

benefits right are being handled through the courts

[carmenjonze]

11:14 PM on 12/18/2010

The issue is that DOMA has to be addressed separately. The DADT repeal is a good foot in the door to do so, because it means same sex wedded service people will have cause to argue against DOMA on the same basis as against DADT court cases.

[ladcrp]

10:54 PM on 12/18/2010

I thought our military was lithe and coiled and ready to readily react to change?? Naaah. That would be gay.

[Marnie1]

11:33 PM on 12/18/2010

The Commander-In-Chief has said jump and the Generals are wienieing out before the sun even sets.

It's the old Marine "Not right now I have a headache" spirit that keeps this country losing wars.

[ladcrp]

10:52 PM on 12/18/2010

I thought our military was lithe and coiled and ready to readily react to change???? Naaaaah. That would be gay.