The Pentagon has subjected roughly 50 members of the U.S. military’s Joint Staff to polygraph examinations as part of a sweeping and historically unprecedented investigation into leaks to journalists including disclosures about dwindling U.S. munitions stockpiles during the ongoing war against Iran, according to The New York Times.
The tests were administered in August, following multiple news reports that detailed critical shortages of key weapon systems, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptor batteries, the newspaper reported, citing officials briefed on the probe.
Investigators questioned military officers and civilian employees on the Joint Staff about whether they had disclosed classified information to members of the press, and specifically whether they had provided details about declining U.S. munitions inventories, according to the report.
The scope of the investigation appears designed not only to identify those who may have shared information with journalists, but also to send a chilling signal to deter future leaks—an approach current and former officials say has deepened an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion inside the Pentagon.
Mass Testing Called Unprecedented at Senior Levels
Military experts and former officials say the scale of the polygraph campaign is highly unusual, with no modern precedent for subjecting such a large cohort of senior military personnel to lie-detector tests in a single leak investigation.
“I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level,” said retired Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter, who served as the Navy’s top judge advocate general from 2000 to 2002. “In my experience, it’s unprecedented.”
The investigation comes as several news organizations have published reports detailing how the conflict against Iran has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, alongside accounts of internal administration concerns over the strategic direction of the military campaign.
President Donald Trump has pressed administration officials to aggressively pursue those responsible for leaks, and has characterized media coverage critical of the war’s handling and weapons shortages as “treasonous.”
Hegseth’s Leadership Under Fire Amid Turmoil
The leak investigations have unfolded against a backdrop of mounting leadership turmoil at the Pentagon, which current and former officials say has been encouraged by War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Surrounded by a tight circle of loyalists, Hegseth has pushed out or blocked the promotions of at least 80 generals, admirals, and other senior officials since taking office.
Since early last year, the Pentagon has launched multiple leak investigations in response to news coverage of Hegseth’s leadership—even as he faced criticism over his own disclosure of sensitive information about strikes in Yemen through a Signal messaging group last year.
Hegseth has not briefed the Pentagon press corps on the U.S. war against Iran since May 5, and has moved to restrict journalists’ access to the Defense Department. Last month, the Pentagon dismissed the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, the government-funded outlet covering the U.S. military. The journalists said their removal was retaliation for the publication’s reporting on worsening conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Despite growing concerns over leadership instability, Trump has continued to back Hegseth, describing him as doing a “fantastic job.”
Republican Lawmakers Break Ranks
Cracks have begun to appear in Republican support for the war secretary, with some members of Congress now publicly criticizing his management of the military.
“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Senator Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote in a social media post this week, calling on Trump to replace Hegseth.
“He is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force,” Tillis said.
Tillis was among the senators who voted to confirm Hegseth as war secretary in early 2025, despite having previously expressed reservations about his nomination—a vote he now appears to regret as the Pentagon’s internal fractures come into sharper focus.
Source: The New York Times