U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday he would like to see the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy repealed, according to the Associated Press. Gates was in Australia over the weekend and made the comments then.

The recent midterm elections, in which the Republicans gained control of the U.S. House and made strides in the Senate, appear to make congressional repeal less likely in the next legislative session.

The new commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, also spoke on the issue Saturday, but his words did not echo the White House position.

"There's risk involved," Amos said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I'm trying to determine how to measure that risk. This is not a social thing. This is combat effectiveness."

President Obama, speaking to reporters last Wednesday after his party’s losses in Congress, said he hoped the repeal could come during the lame duck session.

The Pentagon is finalizing a report on the policy which is due on Dec. 1 that many GOP lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain, have been waiting for before committing to repeal.

"I will look at it very carefully," Obama said. "That will give us time to act, potentially during the lame duck session, to change this policy."