US gives polygraph tests to military officials over Iran war leaks
Pentagon probe followed disclosures about missile shortages and internal warnings that prolonged war with Iran was undermining US military readiness
WASHINGTON (AA) — U.S. military investigators subjected dozens of officers and civilian officials to polygraph tests in August as the Pentagon sought to identify the source of leaks exposing reported shortages in critical American weapons during the war with Iran.
Around 50 personnel were tested, according to multiple U.S. media reports published Friday.
The investigation focused largely on officials connected to the Joint Staff, which includes senior military leaders who advise the president.
The New York Times reported that investigators were examining leaks concerning shortages of long-range missiles and Patriot air-defense interceptors as the conflict with Iran strained U.S. stockpiles.
CBS News reported that the FBI was not involved and that military investigators conducted the polygraphs internally.
Not every senior official was tested. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was reportedly excluded.
CBS said none of those questioned failed polygraph examinations intended to determine whether they had provided classified information to journalists.
Investigators were also examining the possibility that a government official with access to highly restricted munitions data could have been working for a foreign intelligence service, according to the network.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to discuss specific investigative or personnel matters but said the department treats unauthorized disclosures of classified information “extremely seriously.”
President Donald Trump has angrily rejected reports that the U.S. military is facing ammunition shortages.
He has described such disclosures as “treasonous” and “fake news” and threatened severe prison sentences for those responsible.
The investigation comes amid broader signs of unease inside the military over the Iran war.
A separately leaked section of the defense secretary’s orders book reportedly showed six four-star military leaders formally objecting to extending large-scale operations against Iran.
The officers warned that continuing the war was “unsustainable” and risked degrading U.S. military readiness elsewhere in the world.
Parnell called that leak a “crime” and “a betrayal of the force,” while disputing parts of the media coverage.
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