Additional Coverage:
Pentagon’s Leak Crackdown Sparks Internal Dissent, Draws Fire from Press Groups
Efforts by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to tighten controls on information and stem press leaks within the Pentagon have reportedly backfired, leading to further leaks and accusations of intimidation from both internal staff and major journalistic organizations.
According to reports, several Defense Department employees and other insiders have voiced strong disapproval of Hegseth’s new directives. One official reportedly described the crackdown as “idiotic,” suggesting it was “clearly an attempt at intimidating everybody to just fall in line and support Trump.”
The new policies extend to journalists covering the department, with the Pentagon announcing stringent restrictions last month. Reporters are now mandated to avoid gathering any information not already authorized for release by the military. Those who refused to sign a pledge acknowledging these new rules faced the risk of losing their press credentials.
Secretary Hegseth has publicly defended the measures, stating, “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon – the people do.” He further declared, “The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules – or go home.”
Journalists covering military affairs were initially given one week to sign a form confirming they had received, read, and understood the agency’s updated policy. An amendment was later added to the form, clarifying that signing did not necessarily imply agreement with the policy’s provisions, a change that was acknowledged by some press groups. The New York Times also reported a significant clarification: “Under the rules, journalists requiring credentials to the Pentagon will not need approval from the department before publishing articles with information not officially released,” a departure from an earlier draft that had raised concerns among many news organizations.
Despite these adjustments, the updated policy language continues to draw criticism. Gabe Rottman, Vice President of Policy for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, expressed “ongoing concerns,” anticipating the policy would “pose a significant impediment as journalists weigh with their employers whether or not to sign this revised version.”
The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) also weighed in, asserting that “Pentagon reporters have always worn badges, and continue to do so to this day,” and that “Pentagon reporters have always been restricted to unclassified spaces only – the idea that reporters have been prowling in offices where they are not allowed is simply preposterous. And reporters have a constitutional right to ask questions.”
These new restrictions follow earlier actions by Secretary Hegseth this year, which included relocating several national news outlets from their traditional workspaces within the Pentagon building, making those spaces available to conservative media organizations instead.