Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has implemented new guidelines heavily restricting press freedom at the so-called “Department of War.”
Reporters will now need express approval from the department in order to publish any information gathered at the Pentagon and are forbidden from accessing most of the building without an escort.
Journalists will be made to sign compliance forms pledging to protect “sensitive information” and will be stripped of their credentials if they do not adhere to the new rules.
In a new memo, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said that these “physical control measures” announced in May are now in effect.
“All members of the press issued a Pentagon Facility Alternate Credential (PFAC) will be required to read and sign a new in–brief form outlining information security requirements, the new physical control measures, and Department of War expectations of their compliance with safety and security requirements,” the memo, obtained by The Daily Wire, reads.
When the plans were originally announced, the Pentagon Press Association issued a statement decrying the move as “a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America’s right to know what its military is doing.”
The Pentagon press corps have also characterized the changes as a “form of targeted retribution against publications that the Trump administration doesn’t like,” as criticisms of the White House’s suppression of free speech continue.
“The guidelines in the memo provided to credentialed resident media at the Pentagon reaffirms the standards that are already in line with every other military base in the country,” Parnell told The Daily Beast. “These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon.”
While most military bases do have strict security protocols for visitors, the Pentagon is not a typical military base. For decades, it has had a dedicated press corps who have been able to move freely about the site. This includes in the wake of high-security risk incidents like the September 11 attacks.
Hegseth, himself a former Fox News anchor, has said on social media that he expects all reporters to comply or face the consequences.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon—the people do,“ Hegseth, 45, wrote on X. ”The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules—or go home.”
The defense secretary has been embroiled in a controversial battle over the control of information since his tenure began in January.
He has been on the war path to stamp out leaks—firing aides and reportedly subjecting staffers to polygraph tests—which has caused friction within his department.
Hegseth himself was implicated in the accidental sharing of “war plans” in a Signal group chat prior to a classified operation to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen in March. He has also been accused of allowing his third wife, Jennifer Rauchet, to sit in on classified meetings.
In July, it was reported that White House officials had privately warned Hegseth his own position was in danger if he could not stem the scandals.
“While the Department remains committed to transparency, the Department is equally obligated to protect [classified national intelligence information] and sensitive information,” the new media guidelines memo from May reads.
President Donald Trump and Hegseth rebranded the Department of Defense in August. Defense Secretary Hegseth now identifies as “War Secretary” while his department has undergone a similar name change.
The administration does not actually have the power to rename a government department, so the new title is merely an additional one.
Shortly after Trump announced his pick for defense secretary, several of Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues went public with their concerns over his drinking habits, noting that he would often smell of alcohol and required “babysitting” in his role as a Fox & Friends co-host.
“He should not be secretary of defense,” a former Fox employee said at the time. “His drinking should be disqualifying.”
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