U.S. Military Now Accepting Openly Gay Recruits, DADT Enforcement Suspended

In the wake of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recent ruling, the Pentagon effectively ended Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell yesterday:

The Pentagon has ordered a halt to all separations of gay troops under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and will begin accepting applications from prospective recruits who identify themselves as homosexuals.

The moratorium issued Friday came after a ruling Wednesday by a federal appeals court in California ordering the Defense Department to immediately stop enforcing the law. The court said the law is unconstitutional because it treats gay Americans differently under the law.

Meanwhile, defense officials will continue to prepare for the law’s formal repeal, which Congress approved in December. The law will be formally repealed 60 days after the defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs “certify” that it will not adversely impact military readiness.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he expected certification to occur in late July or early August.

It remains unclear whether the Pentagon will seek to appeal Wednesday’s court ruling, which would have to go to the Supreme Court, Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. David Lapan said Friday.

Troops are currently undergoing training programs to clarify the law and ensure a smooth transition to its repeal. Most of that training is expected to be completed by this summer, yet there is no requirement that 100 percent of the force must be trained prior to repeal, Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

Given the fact that the policy is on track for formal repeal by September or October depending on when certification takes place, an appeal of the injunction seems more than a little bit wasteful at this point in time.

 

FILED UNDER: Gender Issues, Military Affairs, National Security, US Politics, , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. DC Loser says:

    This just made the job of a military recruiter so much easier to make their monthly quotas. I’m sure the recruiters are all very happy today.

  2. Richard Gardner says:

    Now will the groups like the SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) dissolve now that their reason for existence is no more? What, and lay off all that “experienced” staff?

    Just like Easter Seals (Polio, anyone?) the NGOs/PVOs will continue.

  3. mike says:

    Yes DC I am sure there are lines at the doors right now