Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced stringent new restrictions on press access inside the Pentagon on Friday, confining credentialed reporters to a designated area and requiring escorts for movement elsewhere in the building. The move follows weeks of high-profile leaks involving classified and unclassified information.
Under the policy outlined in a two-page memo, journalists will be restricted to a single floor near the press office, barred from unescorted access to corridors—including those near offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—and prohibited from entering the Pentagon Athletic Center. New press credentials will prominently display the word "PRESS," a departure from the current badges, which feature smaller lettering.
Hegseth framed the measures as necessary to curb unauthorized disclosures, calling the protection of sensitive information "an unwavering imperative." However, critics argue the restrictions appear punitive, given that they apply to unsecured areas frequented by foreign military officials and civilian personnel.
The Pentagon Press Association condemned the move, calling it "a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America’s right to know what its military is doing." In a statement, the group noted that reporters had accessed non-secure areas for decades without operational security concerns, even after the 9/11 attacks.
Tensions between the Pentagon and the press have escalated since Hegseth took office. Multiple outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, and NPR, were recently ejected from their workspaces as part of a rotation system favoring conservative-leaning outlets like Breitbart and One America News Network. The Pentagon framed the shift as an effort to diversify coverage, but critics allege it sidelines adversarial reporting.
The new rules follow a months-long leak investigation launched in March after sensitive details—including policy debates over U.S. military options in the Panama Canal—appeared in news reports. Hegseth fired three senior aides last month, but leaks have persisted, with some revealing internal probes into his own use of encrypted messaging apps.
The Pentagon’s press restrictions now mirror the White House’s tight controls, though they exceed those at other agencies, such as the Justice Department, where reporters enjoy broader unescorted access.
Hegseth’s memo also warned that journalists who violate the rules risk losing credentials, signaling a hardening stance toward media scrutiny under the current administration.