US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses issued an order Friday requiring journalists to receive official escorts on most of the Pentagon buildings.
The immediate effect has accredited most reporters at the Department of Defense headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, unless official approval and escorts.
“The department is committed to transparency, but the department is equally obligated to protect CSNI (classified intelligence) and confidential information.
He called the protection of classified national intelligence information and operational security “an unshakable order for the sector.”
The Pentagon Press Association, a membership organization representing the interests of the press squad that covers the US military, said the new rules were “a direct attack on freedom of the press.”
“The decision is said to be based on operational security concerns, but the Pentagon press squad has been able to access the unclassified Pentagon space for decades under Republican and Democrat administrations, including the September 11, 2001 aftermath.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the Press Association’s statement.