The Pentagon has put about 50 members of the Joint Staff through polygraph tests as part of a hunt for the source of leaks about the U.S. military campaign against Iran, according to officials familiar with the effort. The tests took place in August. The New York Times first reported the sweep, describing it as an inquiry without recent precedent.
Leaks about weapons stocks
The questioning followed news reports that detailed the U.S. military's shrinking stockpiles of long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, weapons used heavily in the conflict with Iran. The reports drew on classified material, and officials wanted to find who shared it. The Joint Staff, which coordinates war plans with commanders around the world, employs between 1,500 and 2,000 officers and officials. Testing roughly 50 of them marks a deep and unusually wide search.
A message as much as a question
People with knowledge of the effort said the sweep was meant to do more than identify one leaker. It was also a show of force aimed at anyone else who might pass information to reporters. Polygraph results are not accepted as evidence in court, and passing a test does not clear a person of suspicion. No one has been publicly named as the source of the leaks, and officials have not said whether any of the tests produced an admission.
Pressure inside the building
The sweep adds to tension inside the building as the U.S. campaign against Iran continues. Pentagon leaders have argued that leaks about weapon supplies endanger troops and help adversaries plan. Critics of the tests say treating large numbers of staff as suspects can push people to stay quiet rather than raise concerns through proper channels. No public confirmation has emerged that the source of the leaks was found, and officials have not commented on the record about individual tests.