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WASHINGTON, D.C., August 2, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Soldiers who want the latest issues of Playboy and Penthouse will have to go off-base to get them. The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that the sexually charged magazines are on a list of 891 titles that will no longer be available at Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) stores.

The decision came following a campaign by pro-decency group Morality in Media to ban pornography sales on military installations. The group had written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel requesting the change, citing Section 2495b of title 10 in the United States code, the Military Honor and Decency Act, which “prohibits the sale or rental of sexually explicit material on property under DOD jurisdiction.”

Morality in Media director Dawn Hawkins praised the development in a statement. “It is a great victory that the Army and Air Force exchanges will finally stop selling sexually exploitative magazines,” Hawkins said. “Hopefully the other branches will follow suit or Secretary Hagel will order their removal from all bases.”

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The Department of Defense had previously denied that Playboy and similar titles were sexually explicit under the law’s definition, and an AAFES spokesman claimed Wednesday that the decision to remove the magazines was strictly business. According to Army Lt. Col. Antwan C. Williams, demand for adult-oriented print magazines has decreased by 86 percent since 1998, as people increasingly look to the internet for that type of entertainment.

“The decision to no longer stock the material is a business decision driven by the time, money, and energy required to facilitate buying habits, combined with decreasing demand,” Williams said.

Williams said the magazines had to go to clear shelf space for the in-demand electronic devices which have largely replaced them.