WASHINGTON — The commander of the Army in the Pacific won't be formally reprimanded after urging troops to lobby to keep the ban on openly gay military service.

President Obama supports lifting the ban, and an active attempt to keep it in place could be considered insubordination.

But Fort Shafter-based Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon's civilian boss says the three-star Army general won't receive a letter of reprimand or be forced to step down. Army Secretary John McHugh told reporters yesterday that Mixon has been told by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey that what he did was inappropriate.

"The chief and I believe that he is now prepared to lead in the very distinguished manner in which he has led in the past and that brought him to a very, very high-level three-star position," McHugh said.

"So we will consider the matter closed as of today," he added.

Mixon's case underscores the difficulty facing Obama as he presses ahead to repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell." Pentagon officials say they want to hear the opinions of the troops so they can address their concerns.

McHugh said he has talked with some gay soldiers about the policy. He said the troops wouldn't be discharged for revealing their sexual orientation in those discussions, even though doing so technically violates the law.

"What I'm trying to do is tell the troops that's it's OK to talk about this, no matter what their view is," he said.

But unsolicited pushback — particularly by senior uniformed officers — could help to mobilize resistance within the ranks that would make it difficult to change personnel policies without dividing military units and hurting troop readiness.

Mixon urged troops to speak up in support of the ban in a letter published in a military newspaper.

McHugh said he didn't think Mixon deserved harsher treatment because he now "recognizes it is inappropriate for him to become an advocate and try to shape the opinion of the force, rather than reach out and ascertain the opinion of the force."

Obama says that everyone, gay or straight, should be able to serve their country, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a yearlong review of how to make that happen.