Stop The Pentagon From Turning On Its Own People

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The Pentagon’s new loyalty tests and gag orders threaten the honesty, accountability, and trust that hold America’s military together—stand up now to defend integrity.

Stop The Pentagon From Turning On Its Own People

The Pentagon is moving to enforce broad nondisclosure agreements and random lie detector tests for thousands of service members, civilian employees, and contractors1. These measures would force those working under the Department of Defense to surrender trust for suspicion, replacing open communication with silence. Officials claim the changes will safeguard classified information, but the reality is more chilling—these rules risk undermining the very integrity that makes our military strong2.

Instead of focusing on improving readiness or protecting those who serve, the new directives create an environment where truth becomes a liability. Polygraphs are notoriously unreliable, and nondisclosure agreements that stretch this far could muzzle honest voices—from generals to administrative staff3. This is not national security. It’s control.

Trust, Not Intimidation, Keeps America Strong

The U.S. military runs on unity and mutual respect. Soldiers trust their commanders to lead with fairness, and leaders trust their troops to speak up when something isn’t right. When that trust is replaced with fear of punishment for speaking truth, mistakes are buried, morale collapses, and accountability dies4.

For decades, the Pentagon’s strength has depended on clear, credible information flowing through its ranks and to the public it serves. Shielding decisions behind secrecy, gag orders, and forced loyalty tests threatens not only transparency but also the safety of the men and women whose lives depend on honest communication.

Silencing Candor Weakens National Defense

Former defense officials and national security lawyers have already sounded alarms, warning that these measures intimidate workers and deter transparency1. By forcing silence under the pretense of security, leadership risks creating a closed system where misinformation festers. That is not the America our service members swore to defend.

It is time to call for rational leadership—leadership that values honesty, respect, and the courage to question authority when necessary. The Pentagon cannot protect our nation by turning inward and distrusting its own people. Real strength comes from integrity, not enforced obedience.

Stand for Accountability and Respect in Our Armed Forces

Our troops deserve leaders who trust them. Our country deserves a defense department that honors its responsibility to the truth. If we allow secrecy to replace transparency, and fear to replace integrity, the cost will not only be morale—it will be the credibility of the U.S. military itself.

Sign the petition calling on the Secretary of Defense to end these overreaching NDAs and random polygraph tests, and restore trust, transparency, and leadership worthy of those who serve.

More on this issue:

  1. Katie Hawkinson, The Independent (1 Oct 2025), "Hegseth Ramps Up War Against Leakers by Introducing Lie Detector Tests and NDAs to Pentagon."
  2. Josh Fiallo, The Daily Beast (1 Oct 2025), "‘Paranoid Pete’ Wants Surprise Polygraph Tests to Nail Pentagon Leakers."
  3. Sarah K. Burris, Raw Story (1 Oct 2025), "Trump to Hit Thousands of Pentagon Staff with Polygraphs in Hunt for Leaks: Report."
  4. Tom Jones, Poynter (2 Oct 2025), "Pete Hegseth’s War on Leaks Has Reached a New Level of Absurdity."
  5. Micah Hanks, The Debrief (2 Oct 2025), "Pentagon Moves to Impose Strict NDAs and Random Polygraphs Amid Crackdown on Leaks."

The Petition

To the Secretary of Defense and the Leadership of the Pentagon,

We, the undersigned, call for an immediate halt to the implementation of sweeping nondisclosure agreements and random polygraph tests across the Department of Defense. While national security demands discretion, policies that equate loyalty with silence threaten the very principles the U.S. military was built to defend.

The strength of our armed forces has never come from fear or secrecy—it comes from trust. It comes from the confidence that commanders and subordinates alike can speak truthfully, raise concerns, and make sound decisions without intimidation or political interference. Effective leadership requires open dialogue, mutual respect, and the courage to face hard truths—not the suppression of them.

Broad NDAs and compulsory lie detector tests risk replacing integrity with suspicion. They erode morale, stifle accountability, and weaken the flow of information essential to mission readiness. At a time when our nation’s security depends on precision, clarity, and unity of purpose, this policy sends the wrong message—to our troops, to our allies, and to the American people.

We urge the Department of Defense to return to rational, responsible governance that values transparency and the honorable traditions of military service.

By restoring trust and fostering respectable leadership grounded in accountability, we can ensure a stronger, safer, and more principled future for all who serve—and for the nation they protect.

Sincerely,

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