The Hill News

The Pentagon will survey approximately 150,000 randomly selected military spouses about the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, said Department of Defense (DoD) spokeswoman Cynthia Smith.

The survey comes as part of a larger reevaluation of the controversial policy, which the House chose to repeal in May as part of a defense authorization bill.

A vote by the Senate and a review by the Pentagon are required for any change to become official.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked a working group led by the Pentagon's head lawyer, Jeh Johnson, and the commander of U.S. Army Europe, Gen. Carter Ham, to study the issue. The group will consider the spousal surveys as part of its work.  

"[The surveys] will help the military leadership assess the impacts, if any, a change in the law ... might have on family readiness and military community life," Smith said in statement Tuesday. "It will also help the Department of Defense develop a contingency plan to support effective implementation, if repeal occurs."

Approximately 400,000 troops received another survey on "Don't ask, don't tell' in July. About one quarter were returned.

Groups that represent gay and lesbian troops and veterans have vehemently opposed the survey, calling it biased and a risk to the gays and lesbians currently serving. 

"At this time, our warning stands that gay and lesbian service members should not take the survey unless adequate legal protections are put in place," Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said upon the survey's release in July.

"The survey isn't even just slightly bad," said Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, after a portion was leaked. "It's far more skewed than we even expected it to be, given the working group's commitment to staying neutral."

Both the Defense Department and Adm. Mike Mullen, who supports repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," announced the spousal survey via Twitter Tuesday. Their tweets linked to a Facebook photo with an image of the envelope that will enclose it. 

"Please take the survey and return it; your participation is vital," the caption reads.

The mailers will be sent on Aug. 20. Spouses are requested to complete them by Sept. 27, and the working group led b! y Johnson and Ham will deliver its insights to Gates by Dec. 1.