Published by Osasere Edomwonyi Ikpoba
In an extraordinary crackdown on unauthorised disclosures, the Pentagon has subjected approximately 50 members of the United States military’s Joint Staff to polygraph examinations as investigators intensify a sweeping probe into leaks of classified information to journalists. The tests, conducted in August, represent one of the most extensive uses of lie-detector technology on senior military personnel in modern American history, underscoring the Trump administration’s growing paranoia over media reports detailing the depletion of critical US weapons stocks amid the ongoing war with Iran.
The polygraph sweep targeted military officers and civilian employees working with the Joint Staff, the elite body of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 personnel responsible for coordinating military operations, policy, and war plans with US combatant commanders around the world. Investigators questioned the officials about whether they had disclosed classified information to members of the press, with a particular focus on leaks concerning shortages of long-range missiles and Patriot air-defence interceptors, which have been heavily depleted by the conflict with Iran.
The investigation was triggered by a series of news reports in July that revealed dwindling American munitions stocks, raising serious questions about the US military’s ability to sustain its operations in the Middle East. The disclosures reportedly coincided with the US halting attacks on Iran, prompting the Trump administration to launch an aggressive hunt for the sources of the leaks. President Donald Trump has been particularly vocal in his fury, labelling the unauthorised disclosures as “treasonous statements” and “fake news,” and warning that those responsible would be “hunted down” and face severe prison sentences. He has also described some media reports critical of the war and US military preparedness as “treasonous”.
Retired Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, who served as the Navy’s top judge advocate general, described the scope of the polygraph exercise as unprecedented in his experience. “I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level. In my experience, it’s unprecedented,” Guter said. The breadth of the investigation is highly unusual, as mass polygraph testing has never been administered to the senior ranks of the US military in modern history.
The polygraph tests were conducted by internal military investigators, with the FBI notably not involved in the process. Not all senior leaders were subjected to the examinations; General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was reportedly excluded from the sweep. According to CBS News, no officials failed the polygraph questions designed to determine if they had leaked information to the media. However, investigators were also concerned about the possibility that a government official with access to highly restricted munitions data could be operating as a foreign spy.
The leak investigation has extended beyond the Joint Staff. CBS News separately reported that several dozen people underwent polygraph examinations earlier in the summer, including some officials from US Central Command (CENTCOM), the military command responsible for operations in the Middle East. The probe also involves the Department of Justice and the FBI, reflecting the administration’s determination to root out unauthorised disclosures.
The polygraph sweep followed separate unauthorised disclosures, including a leaked portion of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, which reportedly showed six four-star leaders formally expressing dissent about extending large-scale operations against Iran. The document warned that the war is “unsustainable” and erodes global readiness, a revelation that Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell condemned as a “crime” and “a betrayal of the force”. Parnell declined to comment specifically on the polygraph investigation, stating that 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”. “Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world,” he added.
The investigation comes amid growing tension within the Pentagon over media coverage of the Iran war and the depletion of weapons stocks. President Trump has pushed administration officials to aggressively pursue those responsible for leaks, creating an atmosphere of distrust and paranoia inside the Pentagon, according to current and former officials. This environment has been encouraged by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has faced criticism for sharing sensitive details about US strikes in Yemen in a Signal group last year. Last month, the Defence Department fired the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news organisation covering the US military, with the journalists saying they believed the dismissals were retaliation for their reporting on worsening conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The Trump administration has strongly denied that it is low on weapons, insisting that it possesses “massive amounts” of weaponry available. However, the series of media reports detailing shortages of critical munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, has raised questions about the US military’s readiness and the sustainability of its campaign against Iran. The level of US weapons reserves available to its forces stationed in the Middle East has become an increasingly sensitive issue, as Iran has excelled at depleting expensive US defensive systems by bombarding US targets with volleys of cheap, mass-produced Shahed drones. Information suggesting that US supplies are running low could give adversaries critical insight into how long Washington can sustain military operations.
The investigation does not establish that any of the personnel who underwent polygraph examinations were responsible for the reported leaks. Rather, people familiar with the effort said the broad testing appeared intended not only to identify those who may have shared information but also to deter others from providing information to journalists in the future. As the Pentagon’s paranoia over leaks intensifies, the unprecedented polygraph sweep has sent a chilling message to officials across the military establishment: the Trump administration will stop at nothing to protect its secrets, even if it means subjecting its most senior officers to lie-detector tests for the first time in modern history.
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