Why has the Trump administration ordered staff to take polygraph tests?

Reports of dwindling US weapons stocks have triggered an unusually sweeping hunt for leakers inside the Pentagon.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026 [AFP]

In a major crackdown on information leaks, the Trump administration has ordered dozens of Pentagon officials to undergo polygraph tests amid media reports of dwindling United States weapons stockpiles in the Middle East.

About 50 military officers and civilian officials working with the US military’s Joint Staff were subjected to polygraph examinations – commonly known as lie-detector tests – in August, The New York Times (NYT) has reported.

list 1 of 3 Trump sends envoys to Russia, Ukraine with new peace plan

list 2 of 3 Oil and politics: What Trump’s ‘historic’ deal means for Venezuela

list 3 of 3 Why is Trump threatening to strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain again, now?

CBS News separately reported that several dozen people underwent polygraph examinations earlier in the summer, including some US Central Command (CENTCOM) officials.

As US President Donald Trump accused unknown staff of making “treasonous statements” to journalists earlier this week, an ongoing investigation into information leaks also involves the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Here’s what we know about the polygraph tests.

Why are Pentagon staff undergoing polygraph tests?

This is part of a wider investigation into suspected leaks of classified information about US weapons stockpiles to journalists after news reports emerged in July that supplies of some critical munitions, particularly long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, were running low . The reports coincided with the US halting attacks on Iran.

The Trump administration has strongly denied that it is low on weapons, saying it has “massive amounts” of weaponry available.

However, investigators have asked Joint Staff personnel undergoing polygraphs whether they provided classified information to the news media, particularly about declining US munitions stocks, according to the NYT.

CBS News reported that the polygraphs covered a range of national security matters. Two sources told the broadcaster that nobody failed the questions intended to establish whether officials had leaked information to the media.

The NYT reported that the investigation was intended not only to identify potential leakers but also to deter others from disclosing information in the future.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 military officers and civilian officials work for the Joint Staff, which helps coordinate military operations, policy and war planning with US combatant commands around the world.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was among senior officials who were not tested.

The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed details of the polygraph tests. “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,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.

Why are the weapons leaks so sensitive?

The level of US weapons reserves available to its forces stationed in the Middle East has become an increasingly sensitive issue as the US continues strikes on Iran using sophisticated munitions that are difficult and time-consuming to replace.

Iran has excelled at depleting expensive US defensive systems, such as Patriot missiles, by bombarding US targets in the Gulf with volley after volley of cheap, mass-produced Shahed drones.

For the US, information suggesting that its supplies are running low could give adversaries insight into how long Washington can sustain military operations and where its capabilities may be under strain. As well as launching sporadic strikes on targets in Iran, the US is maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian ports in and around the critical Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed to traffic in March.

The president has gone further in attacking the reporting by news outlets, calling accounts of dwindling stocks “treasonous statements”. He has pledged that the people behind leaks will be “hunted down” and warned they could face lengthy prison terms.

Trump has also sought to reassure Americans that supplies are being replenished. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed,” he wrote on Truth Social last month.

Does the Pentagon have a problem with leaks?

The polygraph tests are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to prevent sensitive information from leaving the Pentagon.

Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the department has opened multiple investigations into leaks and taken steps to limit journalists’ access to military officials and information. Current and former officials have described growing mistrust inside the Pentagon, according to the NYT.

Hegseth has also overseen significant changes among the military’s senior ranks. At least 80 generals, admirals and other officials have been removed or had their promotions blocked during his tenure, the newspaper reported.

The Pentagon’s campaign against leaks became more formalised in July, when Hegseth created a task force with the Department of Justice to speed up investigations into unauthorised disclosures. The Pentagon’s lawyers were also given expanded authority to obtain records and seek assistance for such inquiries.

Hegseth said the aim was to get information to federal law enforcement, including the FBI, more quickly when suspected leaks occurred.

“Leaked information risks lives,” he said.

The polygraph operation is separate from that process, however. Military investigators carried out those examinations without FBI involvement, according to the NYT.

At the same time, Hegseth’s relationship with journalists covering the Pentagon has become increasingly strained. He has not held a Pentagon news briefing on the Iran war since May 5 and has introduced restrictions on journalists’ access to parts of the building, which the NYT is challenging in court.

The Pentagon last month also dismissed the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes , the government-funded newspaper covering the US military.

Hegseth has himself faced scrutiny over the handling of sensitive military information. Last year, details about planned US attacks in Yemen were shared in a Signal group that included a journalist.

When else has the Trump administration used lie detectors?

The Pentagon’s latest operation is part of a history of the Trump administration’s use of polygraphs in investigations into suspected leaks.

One of the first examples came shortly after Hegseth took charge of the Pentagon. In March 2025, his chief of staff launched an inquiry into what the department called “unauthorised disclosures of national security information”, with Sky News reporting that employees could be required to take lie detector tests.

The inquiry came after reporting that Elon Musk was due to receive a classified briefing about how the US military would respond to a potential conflict with China.

Both Trump and Musk denied the report. Musk dismissed it as “pure propaganda” and called for those responsible for providing the information to journalists to be prosecuted.

Trump, however, separately acknowledged the potential sensitivity of giving Musk access to information concerning China because of his business interests there. “Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that,” he said.

Lie detectors have also been deployed elsewhere in the administration. In May 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly had more than two dozen current and former members of his security detail undergo polygraphs during an investigation into leaks from within the bureau.

How extraordinary is the use of polygraphs?

The use of lie detectors is not, by itself, unusual within the US national security system. Its use on this scale among senior military personnel is, however.

Officials entrusted with some of the government’s most sensitive secrets can already face polygraph examinations. That includes personnel working with certain special access programmes, where testing can form part of the security procedures surrounding access to classified material.

But those routine security checks are different from assembling dozens of military and civilian officials for questioning as investigators try to establish whether information has been passed to journalists.

The NYT reported that nothing comparable has been carried out across the upper ranks of the US military in modern history.

有关美国武器库存日益减少的报道，引发了五角大楼内部一场规模空前的泄密者搜捕行动。

2026年9月2日，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在华盛顿特区五角大楼会见澳大利亚副总理兼国防部长理查德·马尔斯时发表讲话。[法新社]

为严厉打击信息泄露，特朗普政府下令数十名五角大楼官员接受测谎测试，此前有媒体报道称美国在中东的武器库存正在减少。

据《纽约时报》报道，8 月份，约有 50 名与美国军方联合参谋部合作的军官和文职官员接受了测谎仪测试。

列表 1/3：特朗普派遣特使前往俄罗斯和乌克兰，提出新的和平计划

列表 2/3 石油与政治：特朗普的“历史性”协议对委内瑞拉意味着什么

列表 3/3：为什么特朗普现在又威胁要打击伊朗的镐山？

CBS 新闻另行报道称，今年夏天早些时候，数十人接受了测谎仪测试，其中包括一些美国中央司令部 (CENTCOM) 官员。

就在美国总统唐纳德·特朗普本周早些时候指责不明身份的工作人员向记者发表“叛国言论”之际，司法部和联邦调查局也正在对信息泄露事件进行调查。

以下是我们对测谎仪测试的了解。

五角大楼工作人员为何要接受测谎？

这是针对涉嫌向记者泄露美国武器库存机密信息的更广泛调查的一部分。此前，7月份有新闻报道称，一些关键弹药，特别是远程导弹和爱国者拦截导弹的供应即将告罄。这些报道恰逢美国停止对伊朗的军事行动。

特朗普政府强烈否认武器短缺，称其拥有“大量”武器。

据《纽约时报》报道，调查人员询问正在接受测谎的联合参谋部人员，他们是否向新闻媒体提供了机密信息，特别是关于美国军火库存下降的信息。

哥伦比亚广播公司新闻报道称，测谎涵盖了一系列国家安全问题。两名消息人士告诉该电视台，没有人未能通过旨在确定官员是否向媒体泄露信息的问题。

《纽约时报》报道称，此次调查的目的不仅在于找出潜在的泄密者，还在于阻止其他人将来泄露信息。

联合参谋部有 1500 至 2000 名军官和文职官员，负责协助协调美国在全球各地的作战司令部的军事行动、政策和战争计划。

参谋长联席会议主席丹·凯恩将军是未接受检测的高级官员之一。

五角大楼尚未公开证实测谎的细节。五角大楼首席发言人肖恩·帕内尔表示：“国防部不对内部人事或调查事宜发表评论，但对所有泄露国家安全机密信息的事件都极其重视，并将进行相应的调查。”

为什么武器泄密事件如此敏感？

随着美国继续使用难以更换且耗时的精密弹药对伊朗进行打击，驻中东美军可用的武器储备水平已成为一个日益敏感的问题。

伊朗擅长用廉价、批量生产的“沙赫德”无人机对海湾地区的美国目标进行一轮又一轮的轰炸，从而消耗掉美国昂贵的防御系统，例如“爱国者”导弹。

对美国而言，有关其物资供应即将耗尽的信息可能会让对手了解华盛顿能够维持军事行动的时间长短以及其能力在哪些方面可能面临压力。除了对伊朗境内的目标发动零星袭击外，美国还对霍尔木兹海峡及其周边地区的伊朗港口实施海上封锁，伊朗已于3月份关闭了该海峡的通航。

总统进一步抨击新闻媒体的报道，称有关股票价格下跌的报道是“叛国言论”。他誓言要“追捕”泄密者，并警告他们可能面临长期监禁。

特朗普还试图安抚美国民众，保证物资供应充足。他上个月在Truth Social网站上写道：“此外，大量物资正在按需生产并运往美国。”

五角大楼是否存在泄密问题？

测谎是特朗普政府为防止敏感信息泄露出五角大楼而采取的更广泛措施的一部分。

据《纽约时报》报道，在国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯的领导下，国防部已就泄密事件展开多项调查，并采取措施限制记者接触军方官员和获取相关信息。现任和前任官员均表示，五角大楼内部的不信任感日益加剧。

据该报报道，赫格塞斯还主导了军方高层的重大变动。在他任职期间，至少有80名将军、海军上将和其他官员被免职或晋升受阻。

五角大楼的反泄密行动在7月变得更加正式，当时赫格塞斯与司法部联合成立了一个特别工作组，旨在加快对未经授权泄露信息的调查。五角大楼的律师也被赋予了更大的权限，可以获取相关记录并就此类调查寻求协助。

赫格塞斯表示，此举旨在当发生疑似泄密事件时，能够更快地将信息传递给包括联邦调查局在内的联邦执法部门。

“泄露信息会危及生命，”他说。

然而，测谎程序与该程序是分开的。据《纽约时报》报道，军方调查人员在没有联邦调查局参与的情况下进行了这些检查。

与此同时，赫格塞斯与报道五角大楼的记者之间的关系日益紧张。自5月5日以来，他没有就伊朗战争举行过五角大楼新闻发布会，并且限制了记者进入五角大楼部分区域的权限，纽约时报已就此提起诉讼。

上个月，五角大楼还解雇了《星条旗报》的出版商兼总编辑，该报是政府资助的报道美国军方的报纸。

赫格塞斯本人也曾因处理敏感军事信息而受到审查。去年，有关美国在也门发动袭击的计划细节被泄露到一个包含一名记者的Signal群组中。

特朗普政府之前还何时使用过测谎仪？

五角大楼的最新行动是特朗普政府在调查疑似泄密事件时使用测谎仪的一系列做法之一。

其中一个例子出现在赫格塞斯接管五角大楼后不久。2025年3月，他的幕僚长发起了一项调查，调查对象是国防部所称的“未经授权泄露国家安全信息”的行为。天空新闻报道称，相关员工可能被要求接受测谎。

此前有报道称，埃隆·马斯克将收到一份关于美国军方将如何应对与中国可能发生的冲突的机密简报，随后便展开了调查。

特朗普和马斯克都否认了该报道。马斯克称其为“纯粹的宣传”，并呼吁起诉那些向记者提供信息的人。

然而，特朗普也单独承认，鉴于马斯克在中国的商业利益，让他接触有关中国的信息可能存在敏感性。“埃隆在中国有生意，他或许会受到这方面的影响，”他说。

政府其他部门也部署了测谎仪。据报道，2026年5月，联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔在调查局内泄密事件期间，让其二十多名现任和前任安保人员接受了测谎。

使用测谎仪究竟有多么非同寻常？

在美国国家安全体系中，使用测谎仪本身并不罕见。然而，在高级军官中如此大规模地使用测谎仪却实属罕见。

一些掌握政府最敏感机密信息的官员可能已经面临测谎检查。这包括参与某些特殊访问项目的人员，在这些项目中，测谎可能成为接触机密材料安全程序的一部分。

但这些例行安全检查与召集数十名军方和文职官员进行讯问，以确定信息是否已传递给记者，是截然不同的。

《纽约时报》报道称，在现代美国军方高层中，从未发生过类似的事情。