Fri. July 22, 2011
Washington, D.C. -
In a dramatic step foward, the Pentagon will announce today that the military is ready to go ahead and end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
The Los Angeles Times reported that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Admiral Mike Mullen have told President Obama that lifting the ban on gay and lesbian troops serving openly will not hurt military readiness.
Congress repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" last year, but part of the deal was that the branches of the military had to agree that moving forward would not damage troops' ability to defend the country.
The Times reported that Panetta has met with leaders from all branches in recent weeks. Over the past year, the Marines have been the most resistant to change.
However, since Congress' decision last year, training about how to incorporate openly gay and lesbian troops has moved ahead without too much difficulty.
The military will stop enforcing the ban within 60 days.
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