Retired Army Colonel Bob McGinnis says he's "disappointed" by Presdient Obama's promise to scrap "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Retired Army Colonel Bob McGinnis says he's "disappointed" by President Barack Obama's promise to scrap "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and allow gays to serve openly in America's armed forces.

McGinnis says the President should have "consulted with the senior and junior echelons of the Pentagon" before making his announcement Saturday at the annual meeting of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the largest gay and lesbian rights organizations in the country.

McGinnis says he was part of the Army task force that studied the issue extensively in order to draft "Don't Ask Don't Tell" in 1993 and that he later served as a consultant on the matter for the Pentagon.

McGinnis says the Pentagon believes openly gay soldiers could "seriously damage unit cohesiveness especially in battlefield situations" because he argues many straight soldiers wouldn't trust their openly homosexual counterparts.

He compares the potential for sexual tension among straight and gay soldiers to that "between teenage boys and girls". Even more so, he argues, because of the enforced intimacy fostered by combat situations and close quarters.

McGinnis also argues that many straight persons would choose not to enlist while those in the service may opt not to re-enlist if gays are permitted to serve in the military.

"I will end Don't Ask Don't Tell" Mr Obama told the cheering crowd. But saying so may be easier than actually doing it says McGinnis, since it would require Congress to change the law banning gays from the armed forces.

"I don't think the political atmosphere exists in Congress for this policy to be changed at this point" he adds.