The Pentagon plans to introduce mandatory non-disclosure agreements and lie detector tests for thousands of people, a new report reveals.
Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon plans to require that some staff sign NDAs that prohibit the “release of non-public information without approval or through a defined process” and subsequently take random polygraph tests, according to a draft memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg reviewed by The Washington Post.
“The protection of sensitive information is paramount to our national security, the safety of our warfighters, and the preservation of critical decision space for our senior leaders,” Feinberg wrote.
The new orders would apply to an estimated 5,000 people working in the Office of the Defense Secretary and the Joint Staff, including military service members, civilian employees and contractors, the Post reports.
Former officials and attorneys told the Post that this appears to be an effort to scare staff members, as there are already policies in place restricting and punishing the release of unauthorized information.
Mark Zaid, an attorney who has represented multiple government employees and whistleblowers, told the Post the plan appears to be “far more directed at ensuring loyalty to DOD and the Trump administration leadership rather than countering any foreign espionage.”
“There are reasons why individuals were not required to take polygraphs before,” he said. “And I would question why now the polygraph, and an overbroad NDA, is being required other than to intimidate the workforce and ensure tighter control.”
“The Washington Post’s reporting is untrue and irresponsible anonymously sourced garbage,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Hegseth reportedly began using lie detectors on staff earlier this year following the Signalgate scandal. But when the White House received a complaint about it, officials asked Hegseth to end the practice, according to the Post.
News of the memo comes a day after Hegseth ordered hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals to attend a meeting in Quantico, Virginia. There, Hegseth claimed he’s “ending the war on warriors” and complained that too many people have been put in their roles “for the wrong reasons.”
Hegeseth also announced a directive ordering that “every designated Combat Arms” role across all branches returns to the “highest male standard only.”
“If you do not meet the male level physical standards for combat positions ... it’s time for a new position or a new profession,” he said. “If women can make it excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.”
