About 50 members of the United States military’s Joint Staff have reportedly been subjected to polygraph tests as investigators intensify a probe into leaks of classified information to journalists, the New York Post reports on Saturday.
The tests were conducted in August and focused on military officers and civilian employees suspected of disclosing sensitive information, including details about US weapons stocks depleted by the war with Iran.
The investigation comes after several media reports revealed shortages of critical US munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot air-defence interceptors.
The Joint Staff, which has between 1,500 and 2,000 personnel, coordinates military operations, policy and war plans with US combatant commanders around the world.
According to the New York Post, the scale of the polygraph exercise is unusual, with officials describing it as unprecedented among senior US military personnel in modern times.
Retired Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, who served as the Navy’s top judge advocate general, said he had never encountered polygraph testing being used so extensively or 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 investigates leaks involving classified national security information but declined to discuss the specific probe.
He 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.”
“Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world,” he added.
The leak investigation comes amid growing tension within the Pentagon over media reports concerning the US military’s performance in the Iran war and the depletion of weapons stocks.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded tougher action against those responsible for unauthorised disclosures.
He has also described some media reports critical of the war and US military preparedness as “treasonous.”
