The Trump administration has ordered dozens of Pentagon employees to take polygraph tests as part of a major crackdown on intelligence leaks following media reports that the U.S. weapons stockpile in the Middle East is dwindling.
Approximately 50 military and civilian employees of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff took polygraph tests (commonly known as lie detector tests) in August, The New York Times reported.
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CBS News separately reported that dozens of people, including U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) personnel, took polygraph tests earlier this summer.
An investigation into the breach is underway, involving the Justice Department and the FBI, after US President Donald Trump earlier this week accused unidentified officials of making “treasonous statements” against journalists.
Here’s what we know about polygraph tests.
Why are Pentagon employees subject to polygraph tests?
This is part of a broader investigation into allegations that classified information about the U.S. weapons stockpile was leaked to journalists following reports in July that some critical military supplies were in short supply, particularly long-range missiles and Patriot interceptor missiles. This report coincided with the US halting attacks on Iran.
The Trump administration has vehemently denied there is a weapons shortage, saying it has “large amounts” of weapons.
However, according to the NYT, investigators asked Joint Staff personnel undergoing polygraph tests whether they had provided sensitive information to the press, particularly information about the decline in U.S. munitions inventories.
CBS News reported that the polygraph covered a variety of national security issues. Two sources told the broadcaster that no one failed the questions aimed at establishing whether officials leaked information to the media.
The NYT reported that the investigation aims not only to identify potential leakers, but also to prevent others from disclosing the information in the future.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff employs 1,500 to 2,000 military and civilian personnel who help coordinate military operations, policy, and war planning with U.S. combatant forces around the world.
Gen. Dan Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was among the officials not tested.
The Department of Defense has not officially confirmed the details of the polygraph test. “While the Department of Defense does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters, we take all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigate them accordingly,” Pentagon Chief Press Secretary Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Why are weapons leaks so sensitive?
The level of U.S. weapons stockpiles available to U.S. forces in the Middle East has become an increasingly sensitive issue as the United States continues to attack Iran using sophisticated weapons that are difficult and time-consuming to replace.
Iran has become adept at draining expensive U.S. defense systems, such as Patriot missiles, by bombarding U.S. targets in the Gulf with a barrage of cheap, mass-produced Shahed drones.
For the United States, information suggesting its own supplies are in short supply could give adversaries insight into how long Washington can sustain military operations and where its capabilities may be strained. In addition to launching sporadic attacks on targets inside Iran, the United States maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports in and around the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed to traffic in March.
The president further attacked the media coverage, calling the explanation for the drop in stock prices “treasonous statements.” He promised that those behind the leaks would be “hunted down” and warned they could face long prison terms.
President Trump has also sought to reassure Americans that supplies are being replenished. “Furthermore, they are manufactured in large quantities and shipped to the US as needed,” he wrote in Truth Social last month.
Does the Department of Defense have a data leak problem?
The polygraph tests are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to prevent classified information from leaving the Pentagon.
Under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the department has launched multiple investigations into the leaks and taken steps to restrict journalists’ access to military personnel and information. According to the NYT, current and former officials say there is growing distrust within the Pentagon.
Hegseth has also overseen significant changes in the military’s senior ranks. The newspaper said at least 80 generals, admirals and other officials were dismissed or had their promotions blocked during his tenure.
The Pentagon’s breach efforts were further formalized in July, when Mr. Hegseth created a task force with the Justice Department to speed up investigations into unauthorized disclosures. Defense Department lawyers were also given expanded authority to obtain records and seek assistance with such investigations.
Hegseth said the goal is to get information to federal law enforcement, including the FBI, more quickly in the event of a suspected breach.
“Leaks of information put lives at risk,” he said.
However, polygraph operations are separate from that process. According to the NYT, military investigators conducted these tests without FBI involvement.
At the same time, Hegseth’s relationship with journalists covering the Pentagon became increasingly strained. He has not held a Pentagon press briefing on the Iran war since May 5 and has introduced restrictions on journalists’ access to parts of the building, which the Times is challenging in court.
Last month, the Pentagon also fired the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded newspaper that covers the U.S. military.
Hegseth himself has come under intense scrutiny over his handling of classified military information. Last year, details about a planned U.S. attack in Yemen were shared in a Signal group that includes journalists.
When else did the Trump administration use a lie detector?
The Pentagon’s operation is part of a history of the Trump administration’s use of polygraphs to investigate alleged leaks.
One of the first examples occurred shortly after Hegseth became head of the Pentagon. In March 2025, his chief of staff launched an investigation into what the department called “unauthorized disclosure of national security information” and Sky News reported that employees could be required to take lie detector tests.
The investigation came after reports that Elon Musk was scheduled to receive a classified briefing on how the US military would respond to a potential conflict with China.
Both Trump and Musk denied the reports. Musk dismissed it as “pure propaganda” and called for those responsible for providing information to journalists to be prosecuted.
But Trump separately acknowledged the potential sensitivity of giving Musk access to information about China because of his business interests there. “Elon does business in China and is probably more susceptible to that,” he says.
Lie detectors are also deployed elsewhere in the administration. In May 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly had more than 20 current and former members of the FBI undergo polygraph tests during an investigation into leaks from within the agency.
The use of lie detectors is not unusual in the US national security system. However, its use on this scale occurs among senior military personnel.
Officials entrusted with some of the government’s most secret secrets may already be subject to polygraph tests. This also includes personnel working in certain special access programs who are tested as part of security procedures regarding access to classified materials.
But these routine security checks are different from rounding up and questioning dozens of military and civilian officials as law enforcement officials try to determine whether information was passed on to journalists.
The New York Times reported that nothing comparable has been done across the U.S. military’s upper echelons in modern history.
