Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Conway told Military.com that even if "don't ask, don't tell" is repealed, he wouldn't support allowing gay and straight troops to live together.

"I would not ask our Marines to live with someone that is homosexual if we can possibly avoid it," Conway said in the Thursday interview. "And to me that means we have to build BEQs [bachelor enlisted quarters] and have single rooms."

Conway has supported the policy against openly gay troops. "I think the current policy works," Conway said previously. "My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, to the president, would be to keep the law such as it is."

Conway made his comments about cohabitation the same day Defense secretary Robert Gates reprimanded Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon for making his opinions against ending "don't ask, don't tell" known in an article for Stars & Stripes.