Pentagon requests $30.3 million for AI-powered polygraph program

September 25, 2026 at 02:16 PM2 min

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The U.S. Department of Defense has requested $30.3 million over five years for Polygraph+, an AI-driven credibility assessment program. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency would run the program to modernize polygraph technology for vetting and insider threat detection. The request comes as the Pentagon expands polygraph use to find sources of alleged leaks.

Key Facts

The Pentagon's budget request allocates $30.3 million over five years for the Polygraph+ program.
Polygraph+ will be run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).
The program focuses on AI scoring algorithms and 'standoff sensing' to take physiological readings without attached devices.
In September, the New York Times reported that around 50 Joint Staff officers had been given polygraph tests over leaked news about depleted US weapons stockpiles.
In 2023, the Defense Innovation Unit selected Presage Technologies and Altec Research to build deception detection prototypes.

Program Details

The Pentagon's budget request for fiscal year 2027 includes $30.3 million over five years for Polygraph+, also called Polygraph Next. The program will be run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), which conducts background checks for the federal government. Polygraph+ will focus on scoring algorithms using artificial intelligence and machine learning, and on 'standoff sensing' to take physiological readings without attaching a device to the subject. The budget document states the project will 'modernize federal polygraph and credibility assessment technologies' to improve accuracy and reliability. The new technology will be used for vetting prospective employees and for 'insider threat detection', according to the budget document.

Context and Criticism

The request comes as the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has increasingly turned to polygraph tests to find sources of alleged leaks to the press. In September, the New York Times reported that around 50 officers on the Joint Staff had been given polygraph tests after news coverage reported on depleted US weapons stockpiles in the war with Iran. Kyri Kotsoglou, a professor at Northumbria Law School who studies polygraph use in the justice system, called the project 'a misguided effort to reduce the complex to something that is tangible'. The budget document has not yet been approved by Congress, and the DCSA did not respond to a request for more information.

Prototype Technologies

In 2023, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) ran an open submission process to find companies with products for deception detection. The DIU selected Presage Technologies, which claims to measure heart rate and breathing rate using standard cameras, and Altec Research, a medical sensor company branching into non-contact sensing. A screenshot of Altec's prototype released by the DIU shows it tracks head movement, facial skin temperature, and pore activity. Presage Technologies and Altec Research did not respond to requests for comment, and the DIU declined to comment. Current polygraph technology has barely changed since the device was invented in the 1920s, relying on blood pressure, pulse, breathing, and sweat measurements.