Pentagon Issues Memo Warning All Branches Of Military To Instruct Service Members Not To “Alter Their Conduct” For Fear Of “Adverse Consequences” Should Court Ruling Issuing Immediate Injunction On All Discharges Under DADT Be Reversed

A memo sent to the secretaries of the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force from Clifford Stanley, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personal and Readiness Friday urged service members not to disclose their sexual orientation while the Department of Justice appeals a ruling that found the 17 year old military policy banning openly gay service members unconstitutional and that an immediate injunction be enact barring any further discharges under said policy, the Associated Press reports. Stanley wrote that a stay of the injunction could be issued “very soon, perhaps in a matter of days,” and warned the troops that “in light of the appeal and the application for the stay (of the injunction), a certain amount of uncertainty now exists about the future of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law and policy.” “We note,” Stanley continued, “for service members that altering their personal conduct in this legally uncertain environment may have adverse consequences for themselves or others should the court’s decision be reversed.” The memo adds that department secretaries are to “ensure immediate compliance” with his instructions and that “It remains the policy of the Department of Defense not to ask service members or applicants about their sexual orientation, to treat all members with dignity and respect, and to ensure maintenance of good order and discipline.”