Washington ( CNN ) -- The Pentagon on Wednesday began sending out to troops a survey of more than 100 questions seeking their views on the impact of repealing the `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' restrictions prohibiting gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. military . An administration official confirmed to CNN that the survey is being sent to 200,000 active duty troops and 200,000 reserve troops . The official declined to be identified because the survey has not officially been made public . The survey , which service members can expect to receive via e-mail , asks about such issues as how unit morale or readiness might be affected if a commander is believed to be gay or lesbian ; the need to maintain personal standards of conduct ; and how repeal might affect willingness to serve in the military . The survey also asks a number of questions aimed at identifying problems that could occur when troops live and work in close quarters in overseas war zones . For example , the questionnaire asks military members how they would react if they had to share a room , bathrooms , and open-bay showers in a war zone with other service members believed to be gay or lesbian . There also are several questions about reactions to dealing with same-sex partners in social situations . The Pentagon established a team to conduct the survey earlier this year . President Barack Obama , Defense Secretary Robert Gates , and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have all publicly backed a repeal of the current policy . Defense Department officials insist the survey is aimed at determining the impact of a repeal -- not whether repeal should happen . Several members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have said they want to see the results of the survey before they offer their final advice on the impact of a repeal to Obama and Gates . In May , the House of Representatives approved a plan that would repeal the `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' policy after the military 's internal review is completed and Obama , Gates , and Mullen to sign off on the policy change . The Senate , however , did not pass the measure . According to a senior U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the review process , the military needs until the end of 2010 to figure out how to implement a repeal of `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' in terms of housing , medical and marriage benefits , as well as issues involving the reinstatement of gay soldiers previously discharged under the policy . A major problem might be determining how to reconcile the repeal of `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' with federal law that defines marriage as between a man a woman , the official said . In addition to distributing the survey , the Pentagon has also been soliciting opinions in a number of private meetings with troops . The results of the review will not be available until December , the official said . CNN 's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report .
Troops are receiving a Pentagon survey on gays in the military . The survey was sent to 200,000 active duty and 200,000 reserve troops . It asks for thoughts on ramifications of a `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' repeal . Obama backs the repeal of restrictions on gays serving openly in military .