WASHINGTON - The nation's top military officer on Friday defended a "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has led to the discharge of 9,500 gay members of the armed forces since 1993.
"We try to implement the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy as best we can," Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a conference of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He also mentioned "continuing education" in regards to the policy but did not explain what that meant.
The policy permits gay men and women to serve only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves. Critics say the policy discriminates against people who want to serve their country.
Other Pentagon officials, including Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, have also said they see no need to change the policy, despite declining recruitment figures.
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