About 50 US military personnel undergo polygraph tests over leaks

The Pentagon has reportedly subjected about 50 members of the US military’s Joint Staff to polygraph examinations as part of an investigation into the alleged leaking of classified information to the media.

The New York Post reported on Saturday that the tests were carried out in August and involved military officers and civilian employees suspected of providing journalists with sensitive information.

The reported leaks included details of depleted US weapons inventories following the war with Iran, with media reports highlighting shortages of key munitions such as long-range missiles and Patriot air-defence interceptors.

The Joint Staff, which comprises between 1,500 and 2,000 military and civilian personnel, is responsible for coordinating military operations, defence policies and war plans with US combatant commanders globally.

The scale of the polygraph exercise has reportedly raised eyebrows, with officials describing it as unusual and potentially unprecedented among senior US military personnel in recent decades.

Retired Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, a former Navy Judge Advocate General, said he had not previously encountered polygraph testing being conducted on such a broad scale and at such a senior level.

“I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level. In my experience, it’s unprecedented,” Guter said.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the Department of Defense investigates unauthorised disclosures involving classified national security information but declined to provide details of the particular investigation.

The department “does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly,” Parnell said.

He added, “Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world.”

The reported investigation comes amid heightened tensions within the Pentagon over media coverage of the US military’s performance during the Iran conflict and reports about dwindling stocks of certain weapons.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for tougher measures against individuals responsible for unauthorised disclosures.

Trump has also criticised media reports questioning the conduct of the war and the state of US military preparedness, at times describing such reports as “treasonous.”