Washington, D.C. ? The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday he would have preferred that Congress had waited before voting to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law that bans gays from serving openly in the military.

Adm. Mike Mullen did not directly criticize a House vote on Friday that marked a step toward repealing the ban. But he said it would have been better for lawmakers to wait until the Pentagon completed its review of how to make the repeal work. That study, due in December, is based on a current survey of troops and their families.

The legislation, he noted, gives the Pentagon until year’s end to finish its study and stipulates that he and Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Barack Obama must certify that the military is prepared to make the change before the repeal takes effect.