Not all details of Gates' renomination have been worked out, those familiar with some of the talks said.
The former government official said some difficult issues may be unresolved, including questions about which deputies Gates will be allowed to keep and which Pentagon jobs Obama's transition team will fill.
"The real issue is: Who does Gates keep, and does Obama have a say in what team is there?" the official said.
Gates may want Gordon R. England to remain as deputy Defense secretary, the official said. But some Obama transition officials have indicated they want that job to go to Richard Danzig, a top foreign policy advisor to Obama. Danzig then could be nominated for the secretary's position when Gates leaves.
Negotiations over such details could prompt Gates to change his mind, but that possibility was probably remote, the former official said.
Senior advisors to Gates remained tight-lipped Tuesday, and military officials said they did not know what Gates had decided to do. Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff, said he didn't know whether Gates would stay on but said he hoped he would.
"If the president-elect has prevailed on the secretary to stay, I think that would be a healthy thing, a good thing," Schwartz said. "For stability and continuity, it is a good thing."
Since joining the Bush administration, Gates has insisted he planned to leave government service and retire to his home in Washington state when a new president arrived. But he also has criticized military commanders for what he has seen as a failure to adequately equip and protect rank-and-file troops, leading some who know him to suspect that he would remain in the job if possible.
A chief motivation for him staying on for a period of about a year would be to provide a smooth transition. Obama's defense transition team began meeting with leaders of the military services this week, receiving unclassified briefings on priorities and needs.
Gates also was seen as a likely pick for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who differed sharply with Obama on the wisdom of invading Iraq and proposals for getting out.
Obama is expected to broaden his administration's military depth next week by naming Jones, 64, as his national security advisor, advisors said.
Jones is known as a nonpartisan, centrist figure who is respected by Congress and the military.
