About 50 members of the US Joint Staff were subjected to polygraph tests during an August inquiry into classified weapons leaks.
The probe followed media reports disclosing classified details about depleted US stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and long-range missiles.
US President Donald Trump was reportedly furious over the disclosures, prompting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to form a joint leak task force.
About 50 members of the Joint Staff were given polygraph tests after leaks to journalists about dwindling US stocks of advanced weapons, officials briefed on the move said, according to the Times of India. The inquiry focused on whether military officers and civilian employees had disclosed classified information to journalists, including details on reduced munitions inventories.
The Times of India reported that the testing took place in August after reports described shortages of key weapons, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors. The immediate concern was whether classified assessments of US stockpiles had reached journalists from within the military system.
Testing Scope Details
The sweep was wider than a routine clearance review. CBS News reported that several dozen people had also been tested earlier in the summer, including officials at US Central Command and other combatant commands.
Polygraphs are regularly used every few years to recertify security clearances for officials who handle top-secret information or special access programmes. Officials told CBS News that the number of people tested in this case was highly unusual.
The unit maintains an expansive workforce. Between 1,500 and 2,000 military officers and personnel coordinate strategic policies and global war plans with combatant commands, The New York Times reported. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine was not tested, a senior Pentagon official told CBS News. Sources told the network that every participant passed questions focused specifically on press leaks.
Pentagon Response And Task
The Pentagon did not discuss the case in detail. Spokesman Sean Parnell said 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.”
The wider push began in July, when defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and Justice Department had formed a joint task force to identify and prosecute suspected leakers.
“When a leak of department information occurs today, it's critical that we provide the Department of Justice and other partners in federal law enforcement — including the FBI — with actionable information as quickly as possible,” Hegseth said. “Leaked information risks lives.” Federal law and Pentagon regulations place limits on polygraph use and require procedural safeguards, including consent in certain investigative circumstances.
Trump Reaction And Concerns
CBS News reported that President Donald Trump was furious about the leaks, citing three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Few officials held clearance for the munitions files. The tightly restricted distribution sparked fears that an insider was serving as a foreign intelligence asset, a source told CBS News.
The latest round of tests was handled by the military itself. The FBI did not take part in these polygraph tests.
