About 50 members of the United States military’s Joint Staff have reportedly been subjected to polygraph tests as investigators intensify a probe into leaks of classified information to journalists, the New York Post reports on Saturday.
The tests were conducted in August and focused on military officers and civilian employees suspected of disclosing sensitive information, including details about US weapons stocks depleted by the war with Iran.
The investigation comes after several media reports revealed shortages of critical US munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot air-defence interceptors.
The Joint Staff, which has between 1,500 and 2,000 personnel, coordinates military operations, policy and war plans with US combatant commanders around the world.
According to the New York Post, the scale of the polygraph exercise is unusual, with officials describing it as unprecedented among senior US military personnel in modern times.
