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The Pentagon is tightening rules on press access to its headquarters, underscored by a pointed message from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home,” Hegseth wrote Friday on X, the US social media platform, posting a screenshot of an exclusive story on the new guidelines.
The restrictions were formalized in a memo Thursday, obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire, and outlined by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell as “updated physical control measures for press/media access.” Credentialed reporters will now be required to sign documents acknowledging the protocols.
The memo states the Pentagon “remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust.” But it also makes clear: “Information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified” — effectively barring material sourced to unnamed officials. The rules cover both classified and “controlled unclassified information.”
The guidance imposes new restrictions on where reporters can move without escorts inside the Pentagon, long considered one of the most accessible federal buildings for the press. Media will retain access to the defense media office, the spokesman’s office and some general spaces, but escorts will be required for sensitive areas.
Parnell defended the changes, saying: “Up until now, the press could wander all around the Pentagon with no oversight, even outside of sensitive/classified areas. So moving forward, they’ll need an escort … These are pragmatic changes to protect operational security and ultimately bring the Pentagon in line with other government buildings.”
The new policy comes months after Hegseth faced criticism for disclosing strike timings on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a Signal chat that inadvertently included a journalist. A former Fox News co-host and Army National Guard veteran, Hegseth was also reported to have shared the details in a separate group chat that included his wife.
Reporters previously enjoyed broad freedom of movement inside the Pentagon, often observing officials and meetings in open areas. Media outlets have sharply criticized the new restrictions.
In May, reporters from The Associated Press, The Washington Post, and Aviation Week objected. CBS News’ Dan Martin warned the policy could eventually lead to a complete ban on reporters.
Parnell dismissed the criticism: “Here’s the policy in a nutshell: Wear a media credential. Have an escort for sensitive areas. Just like every other US military base on planet Earth. That’s it.”
A spokesperson for The New York Times called the rules “yet another step in a concerning pattern of reducing access to what the US military is undertaking at taxpayer expense.”
National Press Club President Mike Balsamo also condemned the policy. “If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American,” he said.
The media restrictions came a day before President Donald Trump signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
The order introduces “Department of War” and “Secretary of War” as secondary titles for use in official communications, ceremonial contexts, and executive branch documents.
The legal name remains Department of Defense, as only Congress can enact a formal renaming.
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