Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to implement mandatory non-disclosure agreements and lie detector tests for Pentagon personnel, and critics claim the new rules are an attempt to ensure loyalty to the Department of Defense and the Trump administration.
A draft memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg stated that the Pentagon plans to require that staff sign NDAs prohibiting the “release of non-public information without approval or through a defined process,” the Washington Post reported.
Another document, also drafted by Feinberg, states the establishment of a program where workers would be subjected to random polygraph tests. Failure to comply with either rule could result in punishment or potentially face dismissal.
“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.
In response, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell denied the report in a statement, saying “the Washington Post’s reporting is untrue and irresponsible, anonymously sourced garbage.”
The new rules, described by former officials and national security lawyers as an attempt to deter personnel from leaking information to the media, would affect approximately 5,000 Pentagon personnel from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff, encompassing military service members, including high-ranking officials, civilian employees, and contractors.
Despite the new rules, existing restrictions and penalties already exist for the release of unauthorized information. According to federal law, it is a crime for personnel to release classified information to unauthorized individuals. Regulations in place also further prevent Pentagon workers from disclosing sensitive but unclassified information, which can lead to administrative or criminal punishment.
The newly proposed measures, however, align with the department’s recent tougher stance to crack down on whistleblowers. Previously, in September, Hegseth stated that the Defense Department would now require journalists to sign a pledge not to report on information that has not been publicly released or authorized for release, including unclassified reports; otherwise, they would lose their Pentagon press credentials.
The document and rules are still under consideration and have not yet been approved.
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