Obama signs gay military ban end

22 July 2011 Last updated at 20:44 GMT Campaign groups had fought for years for the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gay troops US President Barack has announced the ban on openly gay people serving in US military is to end on September 20.

His certification on Friday of the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) law comes seven months after it was overturned in the US Congress.

The Pentagon had asked for time following the repeal to prepare troops for the arrival of openly gay comrades.

Mr Obama's move affirmed the Pentagon had declared it was ready to accept openly gay troops.

'Served in silence'

"I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Mr Obama said in a statement.

"As of 20 September, service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country. Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans just because they happen to be gay or lesbian."

With the certification, Mr Obama signalled that he, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen have officially confirmed that the military is prepared, following extensive training and preparation, to implement December's repeal of the law.

"This Pentagon certification received by the White House this afternoon is welcomed by gay and lesbian service members who have had to serve their country in silence for far too long," Aubrey Sarvis, an Army veteran and executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network, which advocated the law's repeal for 17 years.

"The troops and their commanders are ready."

Under the US policy of DADT, established in 1993, gay people could serve in the military but could not acknowledge their orientation. The military was forbidden to inquire but was permitted to expel service members found to be gay.

More than 13,000 service members have been dismissed under the policy.

The end of DADT fulfils a campaign pledge made in 2008 by President Barack Obama, who signed it into law in December.

Britain, Israel and dozens of other countries allow gay personnel to serve openly.

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Sri Lanka defends military record

27 May 2011 Last updated at 07:43 GMT President Rajapaksa says his forces followed international human rights law Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has defended the conduct of the military during fighting at the end of the country's protracted civil war.

He was speaking at a huge military festival in Colombo to mark the two-year anniversary of the government's defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

A UN panel of experts recently accused both sides of war crimes during the last days of the conflict in 2009.

The president rejected calls for an independent international inquiry.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo said that it was a defiant speech from a president who still garners great public support from the war victory.

Thousands of military personnel took part in a march-past and military hardware display, in a now regular ritual.

Our correspondent says that the focus of the commemorations remained very much on the soldiers who died in the war rather than the civilians.

President Rajapaksa did not refer directly to the UN-commissioned report, but said that his forces followed international human rights law as they fought the rebels.

"Our forces carried the firearm in one hand and the human rights charter in the other. Our forces never harboured hatred towards any community or individual," he said.

"Looking at how other countries fight wars, we are proud of the humanitarian nature of our operation.

"Therefore, when we see how some countries carry out operations against enemies today, we are proud."

The president paid tribute to the skill of his armed forces at the parade

The president told his troops he would stand by them.

"We were with you in the battlefield. It is same today," he said. "We will not betray you before the world."

The military went out of its way to help the families of killed Tamil Tiger leaders, the president said.

He said that revisiting the past would "simply reopen old wounds".

He also castigated remnants of the Tamil Tigers and their supporters in Europe and the US - accusing them of plotting to destroy his country.

The UN-commissioned report said that tens of thousands of civilians died in the final phase of the war - most of them killed in shelling by government forces.

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Military covenant to include IVF

16 May 2011 Last updated at 19:06 GMT Dr Liam Fox: "The covenant is being recognised in statute for the first time"

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has announced details of the UK's military covenant, which includes three cycles of IVF for seriously-injured veterans.

The treatment would be available to those with serious genital injuries.

Dr Fox told the Commons that a veterans' card allowing discounts and privileges would be launched, and that a new fund would support state schools with large numbers of service children.

And council tax relief for overseas personnel is rising from 25% to 50%.

The announcement of three cycles is in line with official guidelines, although not all health trusts fund that many.

The defence secretary also said the government was allocating up to ?30m over the next four years to support joint projects between local communities and the Armed Forces or veterans groups.

The British Legion said it was a "historic breakthrough" which would benefit servicemen and their families for generations to come.

'Balancing act'

The announcement comes as the Ministry of Defence said it was seeking to find more savings from the armed forces in the next financial year.

Dr Fox told the House of Commons that the obligation owed by the nation to its servicemen and women was enormous.

He added: "In the current financial climate we are not able to do as much to honour that obligation, nor to do it as quickly as we would like. But we can make clear the road on which we are embarked."

Dr Fox also said that in publishing a new version of the Armed Forces Covenant, written on a tri-service basis for the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, a careful balancing act had to be made.

"On one hand we don't want to see the chain of command undermined or the military permanently involved in human-rights cases in the European courts," he said.

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The Secretary of State finds himself in a peculiar position today of announcing a policy that he recently voted against”

End Quote Jim Murphy Shadow defence secretary "On the other we must ensure that the legitimate aspirations of the wider service community, the armed forces charities and the British public, for our armed forces are met.

"We believe that a sensible way forward, that will give the right kind of legal basis to the Armed Forces Covenant for the first time in our history, is to enshrine the principles in law, provide a regular review of the policies that will make them a reality, ensure that parliament has a chance to scrutinise this review through the annual report, and to ensure that the report itself is widely informed, consultative and transparent."

Cuts report

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy welcomed the announcement, but accused the Cabinet of backtracking on the issue, saying it had previously opposed the idea of a military covenant.

He said: "The secretary of state finds himself in a peculiar position today of announcing a policy that he recently voted against.

"In February, I and my colleagues tabled an opposition day debate which called for, and I quote, 'establishing in law the definition of a military covenant, in so doing fulfilling the prime minister's pledge'.

"The secretary of state, his front bench and the entire Cabinet voted against it."

A spokesman for the British Legion said: "This is an impressive package of support, but even more impressive is the irrevocable legacy of at last getting the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant written into law.

"This is a major step forward for the whole Armed Forces community."

Meanwhile, a three-month study into further potential MoD cuts, reporting in July, will consider which personnel and equipment programmes could be cut.

Last October's strategic defence and security review set out plans to scrap HMS Ark Royal and the Harrier fleet and cut 42,000 forces and civilian jobs.

The MoD said it was assessing whether spending assumptions made in the past were still affordable.

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