Pentagon Subjects Senior Officials to Polygraph Tests to Uncover Leaks

The Pentagon has reportedly subjected dozens of senior officials to polygraph tests to identify who leaked information about the shortage of ammunition and Patriot systems during the war with Iran.

• About 50 members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were evaluated in August, according to reports.
• The investigation sought to determine who revealed classified data about long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors.
• President Trump expressed his anger, while the Pentagon defended the investigation into national security leaks.

An Unusual Inquiry Within the Pentagon

The Pentagon has reportedly applied polygraph tests to high-ranking military officials and civilian employees as part of an investigation to uncover leaks to journalists. Reports indicate that the inquiry focused on classified information regarding the status of U.S. arsenals during the war with Iran, a matter that has raised concerns about the pace of use of certain advanced weapons.

According to the New York Times, which first reported on the investigation, about 50 members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were evaluated in August. This figure scrutinizes a particularly sensitive part of the U.S. military structure, although the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, was not among those examined, according to officials cited in the reports.

The review was not limited to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Several dozen officials linked to U.S. Central Command and other combatant commands were also evaluated earlier this summer, CBS News reported, broadening the scope of an operation that current and former officials described as extraordinary due to the number of high-ranking military personnel involved.

Investigators asked whether officials had provided members of the press with classified information about the ammunition shortage. Among the data under investigation were references to long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, systems that have gained relevance in reports about U.S. reserves during the conflict.

According to two officials cited by CBS, none of the individuals evaluated failed the polygraph questions. The results did not publicly identify a responsible party for the leaks, but the investigation continued to focus on determining whether someone with access to protected information had communicated that data to journalists.

Leaks, Arsenals, and Political Reaction

The inquiry comes after months of reports about the speed at which the United States has used some of its most advanced weapons since the start of the war with Iran on February 28. Those reports described a potential reduction in the stockpiles of certain systems, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed claims of a weapons shortage.

The content of the leaks also provoked a reaction from President Trump, who, according to CBS, was furious about the revelations. The President had written in August, in a post on Truth Social, that those responsible for such statements would be pursued and would face long prison sentences, a warning that heightened political pressure on the internal investigation.

The Pentagon's concern would not be limited to the disclosure of data about ammunition. An official stated that investigators were also examining the possibility that someone with high-level access was collaborating with foreign intelligence, although reports did not identify a specific person or provide public evidence to confirm that hypothesis.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told CBS that the department takes "all leaks of classified national security information very seriously and investigates accordingly." The statement did not provide details about the officials examined, the progress of the investigations, or the measures that could be taken if it is determined that there was illegal disclosure.

Polygraph tests are routinely applied to individuals with access to highly classified information, and the Department of Homeland Security used similar devices last year to try to identify the source of leaks to the press. However, current and former officials cited in the reports considered the scale of this operation unusual because it involved an exceptionally high number of high-ranking military personnel and occurred amid a public debate about the capacity of the arsenals.

The investigation leaves several questions open regarding the handling of classified information and how the government will communicate the actual status of its reserves. For now, reports do not indicate that any official has been held responsible, while the Pentagon maintains that it will continue investigating leaks related to national security.

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