Pentagon, Justice Department launch joint task force to crack down on leaks

The US Department of Defence and the Department of Justice have established a joint task force to investigate and prosecute unauthorised disclosures of sensitive information to the media, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced, marking the latest step in the Trump administration's efforts to combat government leaks.

In a video posted on X on July 13, Hegseth said he had delegated authority to the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel to coordinate leak investigations across the department, Caliber.Az reports.

To leak sensitive national defense information is to betray our warriors and put them in danger.

That’s why the @DEPTOFWAR and @THEJUSTICEDEPT have created a joint task force to IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE LEAKERS. pic.twitter.com/pMqXuo21Mm

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) July 13, 2026

“To combat the dangers that leaks pose, effectively immediately, I have delegated tasking authority to the war department’s office of general counsel, empowering OGC to request and receive all information, records and support across the department concerning media leak investigations,” Hegseth said.

“Leaked information risks lives, these new tools and processes will greatly assist us in protecting our joint force,” he said. “The security of our nation cannot be a bargaining chip for those who seek momentary headlines, access to confidential and secret information is a sacred trust, and those who betray that trust will be met with the full force of the law.”

Hegseth also thanked Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche for supporting the initiative, saying he was “proud that our departments are working together closer than we have ever before.”

The announcement follows reports by The New York Times that the Trump administration issued subpoenas to several of the newspaper's journalists after they published articles citing anonymous sources about security concerns involving President Donald Trump's new aircraft, a plane gifted by Qatar.

According to the newspaper, the first report, published on July 8, said Trump flew from Türkiye aboard the existing Air Force One rather than the new aircraft at the recommendation of the Secret Service due to security concerns. A follow-up report on July 9 said the new plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft.

On July 11, The New York Times said several of its reporters had received subpoenas requiring them to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan.

The newspaper also reported that, before the first article was published, a senior FBI official asked editors to withhold the story on national security grounds and requested that the newspaper identify its confidential sources. The newspaper said it refused to do so.

David McCraw, the newspaper's top newsroom lawyer, criticised the subpoenas, saying that the “appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects”.

By Sabina Mammadli