Pentagon polygraphs dozens of US military staff over media leaks: Report

About 50 officers on the US Joint Staff have been interrogated over reports detailing depleted weapons stockpiles during Iran conflict, says The New York Times.United States investigators have subjected about 50 members of the US military’s Joint Staff to lie detector tests following a series of unauthorised media leaks, according to a report by The New York Times (NYT).The inquiry focused on whether civilian and military personnel leaked classified details to reporters, particularly concerning dwindling US ammunition reserves, the newspaper reported on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘To challenge deadly blockade’: New flotilla mission sets sail for Gazalist 2 of 3US imposes sanctions on Turkish bank, prompting legal threatlist 3 of 3At least five killed in Sudan’s South Kordofan in attack by rebel groupend of listThe polygraph examinations took place last month after news outlets published several reports highlighting severe drops in key weapons supplies, including long-range missiles and Patriot air defence interceptors. US officials had pushed back on these reports, insisting their weapons stockpiles were more than sufficient.In a statement to the NYT, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to address internal administrative or investigative actions directly, but emphasised that the department takes leaks of national security information “extremely seriously and investigates accordingly”.“Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world,” Parnell added.The Joint Staff, which consists of between 1,500 and 2,000 military and civilian staff, plays a key role in coordinating operational strategy, policy and war planning with combat commands globally.Unprecedented moveSources familiar with the inquiry told the NYT that the aggressive push was designed not only to identify the individuals behind the disclosures, but also to deter potential future leakers.