Pete Hegseth's Pentagon lockdown is failing to address the main problem

Washington D.C.: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has enacted stringent new rules limiting journalists’ access within the Pentagon. Effective immediately, reporters must now obtain prior approval and be escorted by government personnel in most areas of the Department of Defense headquarters—including previously accessible zones such as top aides’ offices, service branch press rooms, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s vicinity.

Additional measures require journalists to sign confidentiality agreements and wear updated identification badges as part of heightened security protocols.

In a Friday memorandum, Hegseth justified the restrictions as necessary to safeguard Classified National Security Information (CSNI), warning that unauthorized leaks could endanger U.S. troops. “Failure by any member of the press to comply with these measures will result in further restrictions and possibly revocation of press credentials,” the memo stated.

The crackdown follows multiple high-profile leaks during Hegseth’s tenure. Earlier this year, the Pentagon was embarrassed by a New York Times report revealing plans to brief billionaire Elon Musk on potential U.S.-China conflict scenarios—a meeting later canceled by President Trump. Two officials were suspended in the ensuing investigation.

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Another breach occurred when The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat discussing military strikes in Yemen, leading to the reassignment of Trump’s former national security adviser, Mike Waltz.

The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) condemned the new policy as an “attack on press freedom,” arguing that restricting journalists’ movement in unclassified areas undermines transparency. “There is no way to sugarcoat it,” the PPA said in a statement, warning that the rules threaten the public’s right to know about military operations.

The Pentagon has also reduced physical workspace for several major news organizations, further complicating reporting.