US Joint Staff Officials Subjected to Polygraph Tests Over Classified Leaks

US government investigators subjected roughly 50 members of the Joint Staff to polygraph tests over leaks to journalists. The investigation centred on leaks about dwindling US stocks of advanced weapons, according to reports. According to multiple media reports, members of the Joint Staff were tested in August after media reports detailed shortages of crucial munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, the Times reported, citing officials briefed on the move. The tests sought to determine whether military officers and civilian employees had disclosed classified information to journalists, including details about diminished US munitions stocks. CBS News reported that several dozen people had also been tested earlier in the summer, including officials at US Central Command and other combatant commands. Polygraphs are routinely used every few years to recertify security clearances for officials with access to top-secret information or special access programmes. However, officials told CBS News that the number of people tested in this case was highly unusual. The New York Times reported that the US Joint Staff has between 1,500 and 2,000 officers and officials, coordinating operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders around the world. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, meanwhile, said the department “does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly.” The questions reportedly covered a range of national security matters. Sources quoted by CBS News said that no one failed the questions specifically aimed at determining whether they had leaked information to the media. President Donald Trump was furious about the leaks, according to three CBS News sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. One source said only a very small group of people had access to the classified weapons information, raising concerns over whether anyone could be acting as a foreign intelligence asset. Not all senior officials were tested. A senior Pentagon official told CBS News that chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine was not subjected to a polygraph. The scope of the testing comes after defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced in July that the Pentagon and Justice Department had formed a joint task force to identify and prosecute suspected leakers. “When a leak of department information occurs today, it's critical that we provide the Department of Justice and other partners in federal law enforcement — including the FBI — with actionable information as quickly as possible,” Hegseth said. “Leaked information risks lives.” The FBI was not involved in the latest round of polygraph tests, with the US military conducting the investigation itself. Federal law and Pentagon regulations place restrictions on the use of polygraphs and require procedural safeguards, including consent in certain investigative circumstances