Sunday, November 7th, 2010 VOA News The new commandant of the United States Marine Corps say now is not the time to change the country’s policy on homosexuals in the military.
Current U.S. policy bans gays from serving openly, and Marine General John Amos told reporters Saturday any changes could hurt the corps’ effectiveness. He said he was especially worried about potential consequences for the war in Afghanistan.
Amos also said any change in the policy, known as “Don’t ask, Don’t tell,” could have a unique impact on the Marine Corps, the only branch of the U.S. military that still requires service members to share living quarters.
A U.S. judge ruled last month that the policy is unconstitutional and ordered the armed forces to halt all dismissals of gay service members. But an appeals court later ruled the policy should stay in place temporarily.
U.S. President Barack Obama wants to remove the ban on gays in the military, but he wants the change to be made by Congress, not the courts.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he would like to see lawmakers repeal “Don’t ask, Don’t tell,” but that he is not sure if that will happen after last week’s election.
Opposition Republicans Tuesday won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Many Republicans oppose changing the ban on gays in the military.
The U.S. military has been conducting an official review of the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell,” policy. The results are due next month.
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton introduced “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” in 1993 with congressional approval. It bars the Pentagon from inquiring about a service member’s sexual orientation. But those who disclose they are gay or are discovered to be gay face discharge.
About 13,000 people have been discharged from the military since the policy was enacted.
Some information in this story was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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