Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, concerned about leaks to the media during his short tenure, imposed a series of new restrictions on the press on Friday evening.
Those measures include barring journalists from significant distances inside the Pentagon without a government escort — areas the press had access to under previous administrations to cover the world's most powerful militaries.
Among the new off-limits areas were his office and the offices of his top aides, as well as various rooms in the massive building that houses the press offices of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force.
Members of the media will also be barred from visiting the offices of the Pentagon's top military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Kane, without Mr. Hegseth's approval and the company of his aides.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff traditionally maintain good relations with members of the press.
Mr. Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel host, issued his order via an X post late Friday before the holiday weekend, saying it was necessary to ensure national security.
“While the department remains committed to transparency, it also has an obligation to protect (classified intelligence) and sensitive data whose unauthorized disclosure could threaten the lives of U.S. service members,” Mr. Hegseth wrote.
The Pentagon Press Association expressed doubt about operational problems and linked the move to previous actions by Mr. Hegseth's office that made it difficult for journalists to report on events.
“There is no way to cover this up. Secretary Hegseth's memo today appears to be a direct attack on freedom of the press and the American people's right to know what their military is doing,” the statement released Friday evening said.
“The Pentagon Press Association is extremely concerned about the decision to restrict the movement of accredited journalists within the Pentagon to unsecured, unclassified corridors.”
Mr Hegseth also said journalists would be required to sign a form to protect confidential information and would be issued a new badge that more clearly identifies them as members of the press.
It is not yet clear whether signing the form will be a condition for further access to the building.
Two months ago, the department was embarrassed by a leak to The New York Times that billionaire Elon Musk was to be briefed on the US military's plans for a war with China.
The briefing never took place on orders from President Donald Trump, and Mr. Hegseth suspended two Pentagon officials as part of an investigation into how the information became public.
The Pentagon also found itself in an awkward position when The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally included in a group chat on the messaging app Signal where Mr. Hegseth was discussing plans for upcoming military operations in Yemen.
Trump's former national security adviser Mike Walz took credit for Goldberg's inclusion on the list and was reassigned.
Since Mr. Trump took office, the administration has taken a series of aggressive steps against the press, including Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News.
Restrictions on The Associated Press's access to some White House events earlier this year led to a lawsuit that continues to this day.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
