WASHINGTON

The Pentagon placed a third top official on administrative leave, media reports said Wednesday, citing a defense official.

Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was suspended one day after Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick were put on leave following an investigation into potential leaks of sensitive information.

Carroll, a Marine Corps intelligence officer, served as special activities planner at the Marine Corps Information Operations Center.

The Defense Department Chief of Staff Joe Kasper signed a memo on March 21 requesting a probe into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications."

"The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy," Kasper wrote in the memo, adding the investigation would "commence immediately and culminate" in a report to defense chief Pete Hegseth.