"Further a chaplain is not required to participate in or officiate a private ceremony if doing so would be in variance with the tenets of his or her religion."

The move represents a huge shift in military policy towards gay marriage. The Department of Defense had previously said that same sex marriages could take place once 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' was repealed but later reversed that decision and promised to study it further, according to Stars and Stripes.

It might not be a total rush to the altar, however.

Under the new policy, chaplains and churches can make their own decisions about whether or not they want to perform the ceremonies, the Army Times reported.

Almost immediately, Timothy Broglio, the head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services in the U.S. said that Roman Catholic priests serving as military chaplains would not be performing the ceremonies.

"Undersecretary Stanley cannot say, on the one hand, that chaplains may take part in any private ceremony as long as it is 'not prohibited by applicable state and local law,' and on the other, say nothing of the federal law," the archbishop told the Army Times.

The marriages also cannot violate state and local laws.

The Family Research Council, a conservative lobbyist group that argued against the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' also slammed the move.

"It is outrageous that only ten days after repeal of the law against homosexuality in the Armed Forces, the Defense Department is already pushing the military further down the slippery slope," Tony Perkins said in a statement in the Wall Street Journal.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/10/01/2011-10-01_military_chaplains_can_perform_gay_marriages_pentagon_says_in_surprise_policy_ch.html#ixzz1ZjN0WdjT