Pentagon investigators administered polygraph tests to dozens of military officers and civilian employees in August as part of an investigation into disclosures about the nation’s dwindling weapons stockpiles.
asserted
investigators → administer → stockpiles
The polygraph tests, first reported by The New York Times last week, followed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement in July that the Pentagon was forming a joint task force with the Department of Justice to identify and prosecute what he called the “unauthorized disclosure of sensitive” information to the press.
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he → report → press
Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to TIME that the Pentagon does not comment on investigative matters but “takes all leaks of classified 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,” the statement said.
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statement → say → world
The August interrogations included some 50 members of the Joint Staff, according to the Times.
uncertain
interrogations → include → Times
CBS News also reported that several dozen officials were tested earlier this summer, including those from the U.S. Central Command.
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officials → report → Command
Why did the Pentagon polygraph dozens of officials?
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Pentagon → polygraph → officials
Sources familiar with the matter told multiple outlets this summer that U.S. supplies of certain critical munitions—including long-range precision-guided missiles and air-defense interceptors—had fallen dangerously low.
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supplies → tell → missiles
They suggested that its inventory would likely dwindle further amid the ongoing war with Iran.
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inventory → suggest → Iran
Sources told The Washington Post that Trump clashed with Hegseth over the matter during a visit to Camp David on July 31, claiming that he had been “misled on extreme munitions shortages that now threaten to limit military options with Iran.”
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that → tell → Iran
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump wrote in his post.
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Trump → have → post
“Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.”
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amounts → manufacture → U.S.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” he added.
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he → hunt → statements
“Long term jail sentences will be sought!”
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sentences → seek → ?
In a separate post that same day, he denied that he’d fought with Hegseth, calling the reports “completely unfounded rumors.”
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he → deny → reports
“I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” he said.
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he → do → that
Trump intensified his attacks on the coverage on Sept. 3, calling media outlets who reported on the shortages “treasonous scum” who refuse to “accurately report” on the conflict with Iran.
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who → intensify → Iran
Despite Trump’s repeated denials of a broad munitions shortage, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated in late July that missile interceptor inventories have dropped—with Patriot inventories now under 1,000 and THAAD inventories at about 250.
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inventories → repeat → 250
Exact figures about the U.S. weapons cache are classified—and that’s for a good reason, according to Harrison Mann, a former defense intelligence official and a senior fellow with the advocacy group Win Without War.
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that → classify → War
“That is valuable information to any U.S. adversary,” he tells TIME.
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he → tell → TIME
“Obviously, if they know that we're out of ammo in some significant way, it changes deterrence calculations for U.S. adversaries.”
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it → know → adversaries
At the same time, however, he argues that any shortage would likely be clear to the public and to Iran.
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shortage → argue → Iran
“Smart people can put together pretty accurate estimates of what the U.S. has used up between looking at what's been produced, which isn't necessarily a closely guarded secret, and looking at what has been expended on the battlefield,” he says.
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he → put → battlefield
“Maybe not with the same amount of fidelity [as Pentagon officials], but the Iranians can tell when they're not getting hit by as many standoff munitions, and certainly everyone can tell when U.S. and partners have run out of interceptors.”
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U.S. → tell → interceptors
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the CSIS Defense and Security Department, says he and his colleague created CSIS’s July report on dwindling munitions using only “unclassified” sources.
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he → say → sources
“If two people at a think tank can do this analysis with entirely unclassified sources, then the Chinese, with tens of thousands of intelligence operatives, and way better sources of information can get much better numbers,” Cancian says.
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Cancian → do → numbers
What Pentagon polygraph rules require—and what the tests found
The Pentagon adheres to specific guidelines and restrictions when administering polygraph tests.
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Pentagon → require → tests
They are most commonly used in pre-employment and vetting for intelligence agencies like the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
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They → use → Agency
They are also administered when personnel are seeking or maintaining access to top-secret, special-access, or other sensitive information—as well as in the event of unauthorized disclosures of classified information.
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personnel → administer → information
Pentagon rules require an examinee’s written consent and allow the person to end the examination at any time.
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person → require → time
For an issue-specific counterintelligence examination, investigators must have interviewed the person, reasonably believe that the person knew about or was involved in the matter, pursue other investigative avenues as thoroughly as circumstances permit, and determine that the polygraph is essential to the investigation.
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polygraph → interview → investigation
The Defense Secretary is also required to establish a process for monitoring the “responsible and effective” use of polygraphs and to make information about their use available to congressional defense committees.
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information → require → committees
The Pentagon has not released enough information to determine whether investigators followed all those requirements.
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investigators → release → requirements
It also has not disclosed the investigation’s findings.
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It → disclose → findings
CBS News, however, reported that no one had failed the questions meant to determine whether any officials had leaked information to the media.
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officials → report → media
It also said that the polygraph tests included a wide range of questions pertaining to national security.
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tests → say → security
Specifically, The New York Times reported that officials were asked if they had disclosed classified information to members of the press, according to information provided by its sources close to the investigation, and if they had provided information about diminished munitions stocks.
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they → report → stocks
People familiar with the effort told the Times that the tests appeared intended not only to identify a leaker but also to deter officials who might leak classified information to the media in the future.
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who → tell → future
While the use of polygraphs is not unheard of, the sheer number of people targeted during this investigation is uncommon, officials told CBS News.
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officials → target → News
David Pozen, a law professor at Columbia University, pointed TIME toward his article for the Harvard Law Review that assesses information leaks within the federal government.
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that → point → government
“Periodically, task forces have recommended that the White House take concerted steps to facilitate leak investigations, such as regularizing the use of polygraphs and requiring government employees who speak with the press to provide advance notice, followed by summaries of what was discussed,” he wrote.
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he → recommend → summaries
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
