Report: Pentagon study finds little risk to lifting gay ban

A not-yet-released Pentagon study has found that lifting the ban on openly gay service will pose little risk to the nation's war efforts, according to sources who spoke with the Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe and Greg Jaffe.

More than 70 percent of troops who filled out a Pentagon survey on "Don't ask, don't tell" said letting gays serve openly would have positive, mixed or nonexistent effects on service members.

Repeal advocates are hailing the report as a major victory for their cause. "A measure of the full-report is still needed, and there are undoubtedly adjustments that will need to be considered as any transition to openly gay service moves forward," said Aaron Belkin, the head of the pro-repeal Palm Center think tank, in a statement to The Upshot. "However, the Pentagon itself has made the strongest case for the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' in stating that this can be done during wartime without harming unit cohesion or military readiness."

The group said the findings "end debate" on the subject.

But the Post's sources say those who support the ban on gay service may use the 370-page report to their advantage as well. A "significant minority" opposes repeal, including 40 percent of the Marine Corps. Newly appointed Marine head Gen. James Amos has vocally opposed repeal since his nomination. Defense Secretary Robert Gates supports repeal.

Among other things, the report recommends lifting a ban on anal sex in the military whether or not don't ask is repealed by Congress. It also says there should be no official changes to housing policy when gays are allowed to serve openly. Soldiers who object to living with gay comrades should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, the report concludes.

President Obama has promised to repeal the policy, but it is still unclear whether Democrats have the political will to try to pass the repeal during the lame-duck session, given vocal Republican opposition and the threat of a Senate filibuster.

The leaked results of the report, which won't be public until Dec. 1, may lend momentum to repeal efforts.

"The Pentagon has reportedly found what more than 20 other studies already found: that openly gay service does not harm military readiness," Dr. Nathaniel Frank, author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America," said in a statement. "With the unit cohesion debate settled, the question now is political: Will lawmakers who were waiting for these findings keep their word and proceed to an up-or-down vote on whether to end discrimination in our armed forces?"

(Photo of Obama greeting U.S. soldiers in South Korea on Thursday: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)