Washington, D.C. — The Pentagon reportedly subjected about 50 members of the Joint Staff to polygraph examinations in August as part of an effort to identify officials suspected of leaking sensitive information to journalists.
The New York Times reported that the tests followed a series of stories about depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles during the ongoing war with Iran, including shortages of long-range precision missiles and Patriot interceptors. Mediaite independently summarized the Times report Friday night.
The Joint Staff employs roughly 1,500 to 2,000 people, meaning the examinations targeted only a small portion of the organization.
Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to discuss specific personnel or investigative matters but said the Pentagon takes leaks of classified national security information “extremely seriously” and investigates them accordingly.
The move marks an escalation in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s long-running campaign against unauthorized disclosures. Hegseth previously threatened polygraph testing after reporting surfaced in 2025 that the Pentagon was preparing to brief Elon Musk on U.S. military planning involving China. According to earlier reporting, Hegseth later confronted then-acting Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady while searching for the source of that leak.
The latest leak investigation comes as reports of shrinking munitions reserves have raised questions about U.S. military readiness during the prolonged Iran conflict.
The Pentagon has not publicly identified any employee disciplined or removed as a result of the August polygraph examinations.
Sources
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