The repeal means thatgaymen and womencan serve openly in the armed forces, and that the 13,000 soldiers whoweredischarged under "don't ask, don't tell" can re-enlist.
It amply illustrates, moreover, the abiding willingness of the Soviet regime, even under the ostensibly benign leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, to enlist arms control and popular sentiment in ways calculated to erode the deterrent capabilities of the United States.