WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 — The Pentagon has subjected roughly fifty members of the US military’s Joint Staff to polygraph tests as part of an investigation into leaks to journalists, including reports about dwindling US munitions stocks during the war on Iran, according to the New York Times, citing officials briefed on the inquiry. Investigators questioned military officers and civilian employees on the Joint Staff about whether they had disclosed classified information to members of the press and whether they had provided information about declining US munitions stocks. The scale of the testing is highly unusual; mass polygraph screening has not previously been used against senior US military personnel on such a scale in modern times. Retired Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter, who served as the Navy’s top judge advocate general from 2000 to 2002, said: “I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level. In my experience, it’s unprecedented.”
Leaks and the munitions story
The investigation comes as several news organisations have published reports detailing how the war against Iran has depleted US munitions stockpiles, including shortages of key weapons such as long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, while also reporting on internal concerns within the administration over the strategic direction of the aggression. President Donald Trump has pressed administration officials to aggressively pursue those responsible for leaks and has described media coverage critical of the US handling of the war and its weapons shortages as “treasonous.”
The leak investigations have contributed to an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion inside the Pentagon, which current and former officials say has been encouraged by war secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth, surrounded by a close circle of loyalists, has pushed out or blocked the promotions of at least eighty generals, admirals, and other officials since taking office. Since early last year, the Pentagon has launched multiple leak investigations in response to news coverage of Hegseth’s leadership, even as he faced criticism over his disclosure of sensitive information about strikes in Yemen in a Signal group last year. Hegseth has not briefed the Pentagon press corps on the US war against Iran since May 5 and has sought to restrict journalists’ access to the Pentagon.
Fallout over Hegseth
Last month, the Pentagon dismissed the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded publication covering the US military; the journalists said their removal was retaliation for the outlet’s reporting on worsening conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Trump has continued to support Hegseth, saying he is doing a “fantastic job” despite growing concerns over leadership turmoil at the Pentagon. Some Republicans in Congress have recently begun publicly criticising Hegseth, with Senator Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, writing in a social media post this week: “I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” and calling on Trump to replace Hegseth. Tillis added: “He is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force.” Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth as war secretary in early 2025, despite previously expressing concerns about his nomination. The question now is whether the polygraph sweep yields any results, and whether the mounting congressional criticism — from a senator who once backed him, no less — shifts the President’s calculus on his war secretary. As ever with this administration, the detail that matters is the one that emerges next.
