WASHINGTON--Freshman Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)--a Navy reserve officer who has declined to give his views on gays serving openly in the military--waiting for a Defense Department survey to be completed--will study the report released on Tuesday. Defense Sec. Robert Gates on Tuesday called for the Senate to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," ban, based on the report.

"Senator Kirk will read every page of the DoD/Joint Chiefs of Staff report and will seek a meeting with the Chief of Naval Operations to discuss his findings before making a decision on this issue," his spokesman, Lance Trover, said in a statement.

Here's what we know: The Obama White House wants the lame duck Senate to consider repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" because repealing it in the new Senate, seated in January will be difficult. Kirk, sworn-in on Monday, has said the Senate should not, with a few exceptions, take up substantive issues during the lame duck session.