US troops approve end to military gay ban

A survey has found that most US troops think allowing gays to serve openly in the military would have a minimal effect on US war efforts.



According to a report in the Washington Post newspaper some 70 per cent of troops surveyed said repealing the ban would be positive, mixed or would change nothing at all.



Citing a Pentagon report the newspaper said the survey results have led the report's authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.



However the survey also says a significant minority opposes serving alongside openly gay troops, with opposition apparently strongest in the Marine Corps.



US President Barack Obama has called for an end to the policy.



Hopes for a repeal dimmed this month amid conservative Republican gains in the US Congress.