Washington — Some of the highest-ranking officials in the U.S. military were subjected to polygraph tests as part of a broad leak investigation after the media reported highly sensitive classified details about the country’s stockpile of sophisticated weapons, U.S. officials briefed on the matter told CBS News. President Trump was furious about the leaks, according to three of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A very small group of people had access to the classified details of the munitions, and there were concerns about whether someone could be acting as a foreign intelligence asset, one of the sources said. Polygraph tests are often part of the routine cadence for senior military and civilian officials, but the massive volume of people brought in for testing in this case was extremely rare, officials said. Several dozen people were tested earlier this summer, including some US Central Command officials as well as other combatant commanders. The polygraph questions delved into various issues related to national security. No one flubbed questions aimed at determining whether these officials leaked to the media, two of the sources said. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to CBS News late Friday: “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. Obtaining classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and our troops deployed around the world.” Not all senior military officers were part of the tests. For example, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, did not take a polygraph, a senior Pentagon official said. The New York Times was the first to report on the polygraph tests. Weeks after the war with Iran, CBS News and other media outlets had reported on the rapid pace at which the United States was expending some of its most advanced finite munitions. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026. Kent NISHIMURA /AFP via Getty Images In July, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the Department of Justice had formed a joint task force to identify and prosecute people suspected of leaking sensitive government information to the press, significantly expanding an effort that had begun within his own office. Hegseth gave the Pentagon’s Office of the General Counsel, headed by Earl Matthews, broad authority to demand information, records and assistance in investigating leaks. Pentagon officials and staff were instructed to prioritize those requests and respond within a two-day period. “When a breach of department information occurs today, it is critical that we provide the Department of Justice and other federal law enforcement partners, including the FBI, with actionable information as quickly as possible,” Hegseth said when announcing the task force. And he added: “The leaked information puts lives at risk.” The move came days after the Justice Department subpoenaed several New York Times journalists for their reporting on safety deficiencies aboard the new Air Force One donated by Qatar. The Justice Department later withdrew its subpoenas for grand jury testimony and phone records. The decision followed a contentious court hearing in which a U.S. district judge questioned federal prosecutors about why they issued the subpoenas before taking further investigative action, according to a previous CBS News report. Polygraphs are not unusual for government officials who have permission to view top-secret files or “special access programs,” which impose even stricter controls on sensitive national security information. Testing is performed every few years to recertify an individual’s clearance. The extent of this summer’s testing indicates an investigation, homeland security officials told CBS News. The FBI was not involved in these polygraph tests, several people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The army has its own investigators. Defense secretaries have the authority to direct counterintelligence investigations that can include polygraph examinations, but federal law and Pentagon regulations also place restrictions on when polygraphs can be used and require procedural safeguards. In these circumstances, the person tested must give consent or request the test. That includes cases where investigators are trying to resolve serious information discovered during a security investigation or when someone wants to clear up accusations or evidence that emerged during an investigation. Under federal law, the Secretary of Defense must ensure that polygraph examinations are used “responsibly and effectively” within the Department of Defense and must also provide information to congressional bodies on the use of the polygraph. For Hegseth, the latest effort is not the first time he has turned to polygraphs amid concerns about leaks from inside the Pentagon. Following the ouster of Gen. CQ Brown, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth became enraged last year after details of a planned classified briefing on China hosted for Elon Musk at the Pentagon were leaked to the press, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that Hegseth yelled at Adm. Christopher Grady, then acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and demanded proof that he was not the source of the leak of the report on March 21, 2025. Citing two unnamed people familiar with the exchange, the newspaper said Hegseth yelled at Grady: “I’ll hook you up to a fucking polygraph!” The Journal reported that Grady was never subjected to a polygraph exam, as Hegseth accused others of leaking, including Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, who served as director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was also threatened with a polygraph. Hegseth decided not to promote Sims to four-star general, the Times reported. He retired last September. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press
