By Enyichukwu Enemanna
In a bid to avoid leaks of classified information, the U.S. has rolled out new orders that require reporters covering the Pentagon to have official escorts within most parts of the building, as against moving around without being monitored, as has been the practice in the past.
This comes as the press corps covering the U.S. military says the new rules appear to be a “direct attack on the freedom of the press.”
In a statement, the Pentagon Press Association, a membership organisation representing the interests of the journalists, says, “The decision is purportedly based on concerns about operational security. But the Pentagon Press Corps has had access to non-secured, unclassified spaces in the Pentagon for decades, under Republican and Democratic administrations, including in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, without any concern about OP-SEC from DoD leadership.”
In what analysts say is the latest in a series of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration restrictions placed on the press, the Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday issued the measures, which take effect immediately. It bars accredited reporters from most of the Department of Defense headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, unless they have official approval and an escort.
“While the Department remains committed to transparency, the Department is equally obligated to protect CSNI (classified intelligence) and sensitive information – the unauthorised disclosure of which could put the lives of U.S. Service members in danger,” Hegseth said in a memorandum.
He called the protection of classified national intelligence information and operational security “an unwavering imperative for the Department.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, while responding to a request for comment, said: “These updated measures are a necessary step to protect sensitive information and to keep our U.S. service members protected from preventable risks.”
Since January, when Trump was inaugurated for a second term in office, the Pentagon has launched an investigation into leaks that resulted in three officials being placed on suspension.
The new order also requires what is called legacy media organisations, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC News, to vacate their Pentagon office spaces, as a new rotation system takes effect. It brings in other media outlets, especially those seen as friendly to the Republican government, such as the New York Post, Breitbart, The Daily Caller and One America News Network.
According to the Trump administration, the move is intended to allow other media outlets the opportunity to report as resident members of the press corps.
The White House says Trump will not tolerate leaks to the media and that federal employees who do so should be held accountable.
The Defence Secretary’s order also requires members of the Pentagon press corps to acknowledge a responsibility to protect national intelligence and sensitive information, and says they will be issued with new credentials that more prominently identify them as members of the press.
“We also anticipate a forthcoming announcement of additional security measures and enhanced scrutiny on the issuance of (credentials),” the memo said.
