IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gabi Ashkenazi has called for administering a polygraph exam to hundreds of officers, majors, before they move up the chain of command to the rank of lt.-colonel. The new policy will take effect on January 1, 2010.

The move is intended to bring a halt to the ongoing norm of leaking information to the media, giving unauthorized interviews and releasing statements to the press, as well as to identify those officers responsible for the leaks, to prevent them from moving up the ranks. To date, the exam was only given to lt.-colonels before moving up to colonel but now the test will be mandatory for lower ranking officers too.

The Office of the IDF Spokesperson confirmed the report, explaining it is another step towards improving security in the military, to prevent leaks to the media.

After conferring with IDF information security experts, the chief of staff, who has been working with tenacity to stop leaks to the press, decided on this step. In addition to concerns regarding leaks to the press, the soldiers taking the polygraph will also be asked a series of other questions, pertaining to contacting enemy agents, passing information to others, excessive use of alcoholic beverages or the use of recreational narcotic substances.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)