Military to have 3 months to prepare for open service: report

The Pentagon on Friday will reportedly unveil an implementation plan that will give the U.S. military around three months to prepare for ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and allowing gay troops to serve openly.

According to the Associated Press, the plan will “outline the personnel, recruiting and other regulations that must be changed” and “describe three levels of training for the troops, their commanders and the key administrators, recruiters and other leaders who will have to help implement the changes.”

Although President Obama last month signed legislation allowing for repeal of “Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell,” open service won’t take effect until he, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that the U.S. military is ready. After certification takes places, an additional 60-day waiting period must take place for congressional review before gays can begin serving openly

Defense Secretary Robert Gates had earlier this month described a three-step process for reaching certification that involves creating new regulations, providing new education materials and finally training the 2.2 million troops in the U.S. military.