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UPDATE 2-US military study gives green light to end gay ban

by (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. Click For Restrictions. http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 20:52 GMT

* Study dismisses concerns repeal can't happen in wartime

* No separate bathrooms, living quarters for homosexuals

* U.S. military saw more resistance to racial integration

* Unclear if Senate can pass repeal in lame duck session (Recasts with Gates, Mullen comments)

By Phil Stewart and Ross Colvin

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Pentagon unveiled a study on Tuesday that played down the impact of ending the U.S. military's ban on gays, but worries among U.S. generals about the fallout on troops fighting abroad could delay action.

The results of the study dismissed or minimized concerns raised in Congress and some quarters of the military about President Barack Obama's plans to repeal the 17-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy -- hopefully by the end of the year.

"We are both convinced that our military can do this, even during this time of war," concluded study authors Army General Carter Ham and Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson.

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy bars gays from serving openly in the military but allows them to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual orientation private.

At least 13,000 men and women have been expelled from the military since "don't ask, don't tell" went into effect, according to some estimates.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that the study's survey results showed heightened concerns about repeal among combat units. This has alarmed the chiefs of the U.S. military services, given the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"These findings do lead me to conclude that an abundance of care and preparation is required if we are to avoid a disruptive -- and potentially dangerous -- impact on the performance of those serving at the "tip of the spear" in America's wars, Gates told reporters.

Big gains by Republicans in Nov. 2 congressional elections have raised doubts, however, about whether Obama can muster the votes to end the ban once the new Congress takes office in January. Opponents have argued its repeal would further stress a military already stretched thin by two wars.

NO SEPARATE BATHROOMS

Gates called on the Senate to repeal the law by the end of the year. He noted that the measure before Congress would allow time for the U.S. military to first certify its forces are ready -- something potential court action would not allow.

"If a court ordered us to do this tomorrow, I believe the risk to the force would be high -- if we had no time to prepare," Gates said.

Gates refused to speculate on how long it would take to prepare the military for ending the ban.

In the event of repeal, the study recommended an aggressive education program and training for armed forces members. It opposed separate bathrooms or living quarters for gay or lesbian troops, a possibility raised in the past by some in the U.S. military.

The debate over ending the ban has evoked memories of past civil rights hurdles, particularly within the U.S. military.

The study noted the military had faced far stronger resistance to racial integration in the 1940s and 1950s, when the armed forces were emerging from World War Two and in the midst of Cold War tensions and the Korean War.

"But by 1953, 95 percent of all African-American soldiers were serving in racially integrated units, while public buses in Montgomery, Alabama, and other cities were still racially segregated," the study said.

In contrast, the survey of just over 115,000 troops on ending the ban on gays showed a solid majority did not believe repeal would affect their ability to do their jobs. Some 69 percent believed they had already worked with a homosexual.

(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Todd Eastham)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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