Pentagon says it will comply with court order on 'don't ask'

The Defense Department is taking steps to "immediately" comply with a court ruling to end the enforcement the "don't ask, don't tell policy," a Pentagon spokesman said on Wednesday.

"We will of course comply with orders of the court, and are taking immediately steps to inform the field of this order," said Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan in a written statement. The Pentagon is reviewing the latest court ruling with the Justice Department, Lapan said.

A three-judge panel in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the military's policy banning gay people from serving openly-"don't ask, don't tell"- must be lifted, the Associated Press reported.

President Obama signed a bill repealing the controversial law in December, but the repeal did not take immediate effect, pending certification that the repeal would not harm the military's readiness.

Lapan said the certification is "proceeding smoothly, is well underway" and that certification is just weeks away.