US government investigators have conducted polygraph tests on roughly 50 members of the Joint Staff as part of a leak investigation, The New York Times reported, citing officials briefed on the matter. Investigators asked military officers and civilian employees whether they had disclosed classified information to journalists and whether they had shared details about depleted US munitions stocks.
The testing followed a series of news reports that detailed shortages of critical weapons, including long range missiles and Patriot interceptors, during the conflict with Iran, The New York Times said. People familiar with the inquiry told the paper the effort appeared aimed both at identifying individual leakers and at deterring others from speaking to reporters.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to discuss internal personnel or investigative matters, while stressing the department takes leaks of classified information seriously, as reported by The New York Times. Parnell said securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world, according to the report.
The Joint Staff, which coordinates operations policy and war plans with combatant commanders, employs between 1,500 and 2,000 officers and officials, The New York Times reported. The scale of the investigation drew attention because mass polygraph screening of senior US military personnel has not been seen in modern times, the report said.
Implications And Reactions
Officials and current and former military personnel described an atmosphere of distrust inside the Pentagon that the leak probes have exacerbated, The New York Times reported. The paper linked some of that strain to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, saying he has operated with a close circle of loyalists and pushed out or blocked promotions for at least 80 generals admirals and other officials.
The investigation comes amid wider internal scrutiny of Pentagon leadership and press relations. The New York Times noted Secretary Hegseth had not briefed the Pentagon press corps about the US war in Iran recently and had sought to restrict journalists' access. The department also dismissed the publisher and editor in chief of Stars and Stripes after their reporting on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the journalists said.
President Donald Trump has urged officials to pursue those responsible for leaks, and he earlier described media coverage critical of the US handling of the war in Iran and the reported munitions shortages as treasonous, according to the report. The New York Times said administration concern over the strategic direction of the conflict and publicity about munitions levels helped prompt the intensified leak investigations.
