US president-elect Barack Obama may face a tough time implementing his election promise that openly welcomes homosexual men and women in the military.
A Military Times survey released last week showed that 58% of troops in active service oppose any change in the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals.
Up to 23% troops may not re-enlist if the policy changed, Newsweek reported quoting the survey.
A 2008 Washington Post/ABC News poll put public support for homosexuals serving openly at 75%, the newsmagazine said, adding that the military has its own culture.
While fighting two wars and struggling to keep enlistment levels up, Newsweek said, the military has expelled at least 4,000 homosexual members in recent years and 12,500 since 1993.
At a time when Arabic linguists are in huge demand, around 80 have been discharged since 2003 for violating Don't Ask, Don't Tell, it said, quoting homosexual rights groups.
Aubrey Sarvis, who heads the service members' legal defence network, told the magazine that he has been quietly approached by the state department for names of the discharged translators. "If they are good enough for the state department, why aren't they good enough for the military?"
