WASHINGTON — Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has decided to end the ban on gays serving openly in the armed services and certify that repealing the 17-year-old prohibition will not hurt the military’s ability to fight, officials said Thursday.
His decision, which was expected, comes two weeks after the chiefs of the military services told Panetta that ending the ban would not affect military readiness. Dismantling the ban fulfills a 2008 campaign promise by President Barack Obama, who helped usher the repeal through Congress and signed it into law late last year.
But the move also drew vehement opposition from some in Congress and initial reluctance from military leaders, who worried that it could cause a backlash and erode troop cohesion on the battlefield.
Defense officials said the announcement will be made this afternoon. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been made public.
Obama is also expected to certify the change. Repeal of the ban would take effect 60 days after certification, which could open the military to gays by the end of September. The law setting the stage for repeal required the defense secretary to certify that lifting the ban would not harm military readiness.
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was adopted during the Clinton administration and has come under an onslaught of legal challenges, including a federal court ruling earlier this month that ordered the federal government to immediately stop enforcing the gay ban.
Days later, the Obama administration appealed the ruling, saying that abruptly ending the ban would complicate the orderly process for repeal that had already been set in motion.
A San Francisco appeals court agreed but added a caveat: The government cannot investigate, penalize or discharge anyone for being openly gay.
The military services have conducted extensive internal studies and about five months of training to gauge how troops would react to the change. A survey of U.S. troops last year found that about two-thirds didn’t care whether the ban was lifted. Opposition to the repeal was strongest among combat troops, particularly Marines.
In most cases, the guidelines demand that gays and lesbians be treated the same as any other soldier, sailor, airman or Marine. There will be differences, however, since same-sex partners will not be given the same housing and other benefits as married couples. Instead, they more often will be treated like unmarried couples.
