In remarks delivered the December 22 signing ceremony repealing the Defense Department’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, President Obama said that the new law “will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend.”  The event was the culmination of a 17-year campaign to eliminate the Pentagon’s policy banning homosexuals from serving openly in the military (see “Gays in the Military,” Congressional Digest, April 2010). But when will the policy actually be phased out?

The next step is for the President, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen to certify that lifting the ban can be done without harming military readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruitment. After that, the change will enter into force within 60 days. In the meantime, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell rule remains in effect.

In the meantime, Secretary Gates said that he would “approach this process deliberately and will make such certification only after careful consultation with the military service chiefs and our combatant commanders and when I am satisfied that those conditions have been met for all the services, commands and units.”

Some gay rights groups have urged the Obama Administration to impose a moratorium on any further discharges under the Don’t Ask, Don’t, but the Pentagon said it had no plans to do so. According to a Defense Department press release, however, the process of separation under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was changed on October 21 to require the approval of the appropriate service secretary, and since that change no new separations have been approved.

In addition, the President made a point of stressing in his remarks that the new policy would be implemented quickly. “I have spoken to every one of the service chiefs and they are all committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently. We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done,” he said.