Pentagon blocks journalists from press office after redesignating it as classified facility

In the latest in a series of measures tightening media access at the Pentagon, the US Defense Department has redesignated its press office as a classified facility, effectively barring journalists from entering the space.

Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez defended the move on X, saying the office had been converted into a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) because speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, who routinely work with classified information, now operate from the area.

“The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility,” Valdez wrote. “These speechwriters routinely handle classified material. As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There’s nothing controversial about that.”

The decision, first reported by The Washington Post, comes amid growing tensions between the media and the Trump administration over press access and transparency. The dispute has increasingly spilled into courtrooms as news organizations challenge restrictions imposed on reporters covering the military.

For decades, Pentagon correspondents enjoyed broad access within the building under special credentials. However, last October, most major news organizations surrendered their access badges and left the Pentagon in protest rather than accept new government-imposed restrictions on reporting activities.

The New York Times filed a second lawsuit against the Defense Department on May 18, arguing that a policy requiring journalists to be escorted while inside the Pentagon violates First Amendment protections and amounts to an unconstitutional effort to hinder independent reporting on military affairs.

The newspaper said the latest legal challenge followed an earlier lawsuit filed in December against rules introduced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to the Times, the Pentagon adopted the current interim policy after a federal judge ruled in the newspaper’s favor in the original case. The revised policy includes a requirement that journalists be accompanied by official escorts at all times while on Pentagon premises.

The escort requirement was introduced in March after US District Judge Paul L. Friedman struck down earlier restrictions. In April, Friedman ruled that the interim policy also violated his previous order. Despite that finding, the escort rule remains in effect after an appeals court temporarily stayed part of the judge’s decision while the government pursues its appeal. The legal battle is ongoing.