Top defense officials will tell the U.S. Senate on Tuesday that the military will no longer aggressively pursue disciplinary action against gay service members whose orientation is revealed against their will by third parties, sources told the Washington Post.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates (who was also U.S. President Bush’s Secretary of Defense) and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen also are expected to announce the creation of a group to assess how to carry out a full repeal of the decades-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which requires gay soldiers to keep their sexual orientation secret.

But Gates and Mullen are also expected to tell senators that it could take years to integrate gay men and lesbians fully into the military, defense officials said. Two appointees will be named to oversee a group that will draw up plans for integrating the armed forces, according to sources familiar with the Pentagon’s deliberations on the subject. The planning effort is expected to take up to a year.

Among the issues to be addressed by the group: whether gay soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will face any restrictions on exhibiting their sexual orientation on the job; whether the Pentagon will be obligated to provide for their domestic partners; and whether straight military personnel could be compelled to share quarters with gays.

WILL THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ACCEPT A REVERSAL

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee decided to hold hearings on the issue after the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff leaked a memo to the Associated Press from in-house legal counsel for U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen (pictured) stating that “now is not the time” to lift the ban.

The memo noted the stress on the military during wartime. The legal advisers recommended delaying the start of the repeal process for a year, meaning it wouldn’t be repealed until 2012. (previous story)

Admiral Mullen’s spokesman says there’s been no decision among the Joint Chiefs about what to do or when.

Last summer, U.S. Defense Secretary Bill Gates asked the Pentagon’s legal counsel whether the military could ignore allegations made by snitches, civilians or other third parties. Under such a scenario, gay military personnel would face discharge only if they themselves declare their sexual orientation.

DISCHARGES CONTINUE

Figures released Monday show that 428 people were discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines last year for violating the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The total is about one-third lower than in 2008, when 619 people were discharged.

Tuesday’s testimony will represent the first significant hearing on the 1993 policy in more than a decade, officials said. Congressional sources said the debate on the issue this year could come as part of the overall defense authorization bill that lawmakers will consider this spring.

A spokesman for U.S. Senator Carl M. Levin (D-Michigan), Armed Services Committee chairman, said there is no firm plan to use the authorization bill as a vehicle for the change.

As a candidate for president, Obama said repeatedly that he would end “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But his decision to pursue congressional legislation has angered some activists, who had urged him to take unilateral action.