Pentagon Redesignates Press Office as Classified Facility, Restricting Journalist Access
The Pentagon has announced a significant change in its press office operations, converting it into a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), which restricts journalist access. This move, announced by Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez, is part of the Trump administration's efforts to control media access to the Department of Defense. The redesignation is justified by the need for speechwriters from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office to handle classified materials, necessitating SIPRNet access. As a result, journalists are no longer allowed to enter the office space, although access to the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and the Press Secretary remains available by appointment. This decision follows a federal judge's ruling in March that deemed key parts of the Pentagon's press restrictions unlawful, prompting changes in the rules. Despite these changes, journalists must still be escorted within the Pentagon, and a press workspace has been established in an an...