Pentagon Conducts Unprecedented Polygon Testing of Officers Over Media Leaks

In August, the Pentagon carried out a series of large-scale polygraph tests on senior military and civilian staff at the U.S. armed forces headquarters, The New York Times has learned. The trigger was media leaks about shortages of long-range missiles and ammunition for Patriot air defense systems.

According to the newspaper, the goal of the tests was not only to identify the sources of the leaks but also to intimidate anyone who might consider passing information to journalists.

An Unprecedented Scale

Sources told the paper that an investigation of this kind has no precedent in recent U.S. military history — never before have top military officials had to undergo polygraph testing on such a mass scale. "I have never seen polygraphs used so widely or at such a high level. In my experience, this is unprecedented," said retired Rear Admiral Donald Guter, former chief legal counsel of the U.S. Navy.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 military and civilian specialists work at the Joint Staff, coordinating operations and military plans for commanders around the world. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to comment on the details of the internal investigation, saying only that the department "takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously" and investigates them in order to protect U.S. service members worldwide.

Trump's Anger and an Atmosphere of Paranoia

U.S. President Donald Trump was furious over reports of ammunition shortages — he has not only publicly denied them but has accused media outlets covering the issue of treason. At the same time, he has ordered an aggressive hunt within the department for anyone feeding information to journalists.

Sources say a deep atmosphere of distrust and paranoia had already taken hold at the Pentagon even before the leaks. It was reportedly cultivated by current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has surrounded himself with a tight circle of loyalists and has blocked the promotion of at least eighty senior officers since taking office. Even before the war with Iran, he had already launched several internal leak investigations amid negative coverage of his leadership.

Hegseth has also sought to limit journalists' access to the department — his last press briefing was on May 5. Because of the department's refusal to provide information, The New York Times recently filed a lawsuit against it.

Criticism from Republicans

Trump continues to publicly back Hegseth, calling his work "fantastic." But criticism of the defense secretary is growing among Republican lawmakers. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said last week that he had "never seen more incompetent leadership" of the men and women serving the country, and demanded that Trump replace Hegseth.

This week, the Senate Armed Services Committee joined the call for similar action. Tillis added that the secretary "is afraid of his own incompetence" and, instead of focusing soberly on national defense and the welfare of service members, prefers to stoke culture wars.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz