Pentagon

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday morning voted in favor of an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that prohibits the use of funds to implement training on the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law for chaplains. [ Read more → ]

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted in favor of an anti-gay amendment to the defense appropriations bill that reaffirms the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as component of the Pentagon spending legislation. [ Read more → ]

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered the U.S. government to immediately halt enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military ban on openly gay service members. [ Read more → ]

Retiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said that repeal of "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell" will be certified as early as late July. [ Read more → ]

An Air Force spokesman on Thursday confirmed that the Secretary of the Air Force approved a discharge under the military's ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy on April 29, this first such discharge since the Pentagon on Oct. 21, 2010, directed that ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell' discharges would require the approval of the service branch secretary. [ Read more → ]

Pentagon officials told a House subcommittee Friday that training for implementation of repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has gone “extremely well so far” and that certification to Congress might come by mid-summer. [ Read more → ]

It has been just over a month since President Obama signed the bill to repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay service members. And Pentagon officials on Friday they think they may be ready to begin implementation of the new law within the year. [ Read more → ]

A federal judge on Tuesday denied a government request to delay her order to halt discharges under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and the Pentagon took the unprecedented steps to begin allowing openly gay recruits to enlist, or re-enlist, in the U.S. Armed Forces. [ Read more → ]

The Pentagon issued guidance to troop commanders on Thursday to obey a court order lifting the ban on gays serving openly in the military, while the Justice Department requested an emergency stay of a federal judge's injunction stopping enforcement of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." [ Read more → ]

The Pentagon on Wednesday began sending 400,000 surveys to U.S. service members asking their opinion about what impact the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" might have on morale and readiness, and their willingness to share quarters with gay or lesbian service members. [ Read more → ]

[caption id="attachment_7352" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Conway"][/caption] The Marine Corps' top officer said Thursday that straight soldiers will not be asked to share rooms on base with openly gay soldiers if the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is repealed. Commandant Gen. James Conway said that even... [ Read more → ]

[caption id="attachment_7388" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Mixon"][/caption] The Commanding Officer of U.S. Army Pacific received a sharp rebuke Thursday from Defense Secretary Robert Gates after publicly challenging proposed changes to “don’t ask don’t tell” policy which bans openly gay service members. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the... [ Read more → ]

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday that the Pentagon will make it more difficult to discharge openly gay or lesbian members of the military. The changes to the [...] [ Read more → ]

The Pentagon is expected to announce Thursday that it will relax enforcement of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prevent gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military, a decision that officials described as a temporary measure until Congress can take permanent... [ Read more → ]

The Pentagon's top guy is getting conflicting advice on whether to lift the ban on gays in the military. The Associated Press reports it has obtained a legal counsel's memo advising Admiral Mike Mullen, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that now is not... [ Read more → ]