Key Takeaways
- The Pentagon has initiated lie-detector tests on 50 high-ranking military officials.
- The tests are part of an investigation into leaks about depleted US ammunition stockpiles.
- Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is leading the internal investigation.
The Pentagon has launched a lie-detector test on 50 high-ranking military officials as part of an investigation into leaks about depleted US ammunition stockpiles, according to reports from The New York Times and CBS News.
The leak, which emerged in July, suggested that the United States was rationing missile interceptors due to supply concerns during months of conflict with Iran.
Administration officials, including President Donald Trump, denied the reports, stating that the country had ample ammunition but acknowledged a need for more sophisticated weapons.
Late on Friday, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, the planning and advisory staff, was being required to take polygraph tests.
CBS News also reported the wide-scale use of lie detectors, noting that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, had not been tested.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell refused to comment on the internal personnel or investigative matters, but emphasized the seriousness with which the Pentagon views leaks of classified information.
The use of polygraph tests as part of a leak investigation is rare, with critics characterizing it as an intimidation tactic engineered by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
This probe follows the establishment of a joint task force between the Pentagon and the Justice Department, aimed at aggressively identifying and prosecuting suspected leakers.
The Department of Defence has launched an extensive internal investigation, subjecting senior military officers and civilian personnel on the Joint Staff to polygraph examinations.
The move reflects an institutional shift toward a more aggressive counterintelligence posture, with the Pentagon taking a more proactive role in enforcing stricter informational controls.
