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Source: Reuters -
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A wary US military says it will begin to prepare for an eventual repeal of its "don't ask, don't tell" policy barring gays from serving openly in the armed forces, as requested by President Barack Obama.
But top defense officials made it clear the change should be gradual.
Obama's call for repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" came in his State of the Union address last week, putting a spotlight on the politically charged issue ahead of congressional elections in November and in the middle of efforts to get his budget through a skeptical Congress.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has voiced caution in the past against moving too quickly to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," told a congressional committee that he appointed two advisers to review steps the US military would have to take to integrate openly gay service members.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautioned that any implementation plan for allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the Armed Forces "must be carefully derived, sufficiently thorough and thoughtfully executed."
The internal Pentagon review, to be led by Army General Carter Ham and General Counsel Jeh Johnson, is expected to look at sensitive issues, including the possibility of extending marriage and bereavement benefits to the partners of gay soldiers.
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