US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a new joint task force with the Department of Justice aimed at identifying and prosecuting Pentagon officials who leak sensitive information to journalists. The move signals a significant escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on unauthorised disclosures from within the military and defence establishment, threatening leakers with "the full force of the law".

The task force will be coordinated through the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel, working alongside the Department of Justice to pursue leak investigations and prosecutions. The announcement was made on a Monday, amid a broader backdrop of heightened security tensions, including ongoing US military action against Iran and requests to Congress for substantial supplemental war funding.