Hegseth announces Pentagon-DOJ joint task force targeting govt. press leaks

July 13, 2026 Lillian Mann classified information, confidential information, defense department, Defense Policy, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, DOJ, FBI, federal investigation, federal law enforcement, government accountability, government leaks, information security, intelligence leaks, Joint Task Force, law enforcement, leak investigation, leak prosecution, leakers, military, National Defense, national defense information, National Security, OAN Newsroom, Office of General Counsel, Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, secret information, security breach, sensitive information, U.S. government, US, whistleblowers 0


CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 23: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks to students, faculty and staff at the U.S. Army War college on April 23, 2025 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The visit comes amid controversy following reports that Hegseth discussed sensitive military communications in an unsecured Signal chat for the second time with his wife, brother and others. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks to students, faculty and staff at the U.S. Army War college on April 23, 2025 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Lillian Mann
5:11 PM – Monday, July 13, 2026

United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have formed a joint task force to identify and prosecute individuals who leak sensitive government information.

Hegseth said the War Department’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) will be authorized to request and receive all information, support and records the Pentagon obtains related to leaks. He added that all department components and personnel must prioritize such requests, providing a “full and complete” response within two days of receiving them.

In a post on X on Monday, Hegseth outlined the coalition’s goals and top priorities in a video statement, stressing that leaks of sensitive information endanger American service members and warrant prosecution.

“To leak sensitive national defense information is to betray our warriors and put them in danger,” Hegseth said on X. “That’s why the [Department of War] and [the DOJ] have created a joint task force to IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE LEAKERS.”

 

In the video, Hegseth also says the partnership between the two departments will enable them to identify and gather information on leakers far more quickly than either agency could by operating independently.

“When a leak of department information occurs today, it is critical that we provide the Department of Justice and other partners in federal law enforcement— including the FBI— with actionable information as quickly as possible. And that’s why the Department of War and the Department of Justice have create a joint task force to identify and prosecute leakers.”

 

Thanking acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Hegseth added that he was “proud that our departments are working together closer than we have ever before.”

“Leaked information risks lives … These new tools and processes will greatly assist us in protecting our joint force. 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 concluded.

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