Brody's Notes... Defence Secretary Does Not Recommend Change To DADT Before Pentagon Study Is Completed

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 25 | The Defence Department made it harder to boot Gays & Lesbians out of the U. S. Armed Services today, while Congress holds hearings and debates President Obama's goal of lifting the ban on gays serving openly.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that the changes, effective immediately, are;

"...an important improvement in the way the law is put into practice," short of repealing it. The changes give "a greater measure of common sense and common decency for handling what are complex and difficult issues for all involved."

These new guidelines, meant to keep the "don't ask, don't tell" law from being used in retribution and other cases of third party 'outings,' represent the first significant step by the DOD to address what the President has referred to as an injustice. The discharge of enlisted personnel must be approved by officers who hold a rank equivalent to a one-star general or above.

During a press conference at the Pentagon, Secretary Gates said he would not recommend a legislative change in the DADT before the Pentagon study is completed, which won't happen til the end of this year. 

"Doing it hastily is very risky," he told reporters.