WASHINGTON -Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that abruptly ending the military's don't ask, don't tell policy as a federal judge has ordered would have enormous consequences.
A day after a judge in California ordered the Pentagon to cease enforcement of its policy barring gays from openly serving in the military, Gates told reporters traveling with him to Brussels that the question of whether to repeal the law should be decided by Congress, and done only after the Pentagon completes its study of the issue.
I feel strongly this is an action that needs to be taken by the Congress and that it is an action that requires careful preparation, and a lot of training, said Gates. It has enormous consequences for our troops.
The defense secretary, who has supported lifting the ban, said that besides new training, regulations will need revisions and changes may be necessary to benefits and Defense Department buildings.
The White House said time is running out for the ban on gays serving openly. This is a policy that is going to end, spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.
Yet, the battle in the courts over gays in the military may not be over. The Justice Department is considering whether to appeal the court ruling and its first response may well be another trip to the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside, Calif., to seek a stay, or temporary freeze, of her ruling. If Phillips turns down the request, the Justice Department would likely turn to the federal appeals court in California.
It was unclear whether Phillips' injunction against the 17-year-old policy on gays in the military would affect any ongoing cases.
Full story: http://www.aolnews.com/story/gates-says-courts-should-not-set-policy/855757?cid=10
A day after a judge in California ordered the Pentagon to cease enforcement of its policy barring gays from openly serving in the military, Gates told reporters traveling with him to Brussels that the question of whether to repeal the law should be decided by Congress, and done only after the Pentagon completes its study of the issue.
I feel strongly this is an action that needs to be taken by the Congress and that it is an action that requires careful preparation, and a lot of training, said Gates. It has enormous consequences for our troops.
The defense secretary, who has supported lifting the ban, said that besides new training, regulations will need revisions and changes may be necessary to benefits and Defense Department buildings.
The White House said time is running out for the ban on gays serving openly. This is a policy that is going to end, spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.
Yet, the battle in the courts over gays in the military may not be over. The Justice Department is considering whether to appeal the court ruling and its first response may well be another trip to the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside, Calif., to seek a stay, or temporary freeze, of her ruling. If Phillips turns down the request, the Justice Department would likely turn to the federal appeals court in California.
It was unclear whether Phillips' injunction against the 17-year-old policy on gays in the military would affect any ongoing cases.
Full story: http://www.aolnews.com/story/gates-says-courts-should-not-set-policy/855757?cid=10
