-'Press does not run Pentagon … Wear a badge and follow rules — or go home,' says defense chief

ISTANBUL 

The Pentagon is tightening rules on media access to its halls, underscored by a pointed message from Secretary of Defense 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 said Friday on the US social media company, X, posting a screenshot of an exclusive story on the Pentagon’s updated media guidelines.

It follows the agency’s new guidelines, formalized in a memo Thursday, obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire.

It said spokesman Sean Parnell outlined “updated physical control measures for press/media access within the Pentagon,” requiring credentialed reporters to sign documents acknowledging the protocols.

Media outlets’ criticism

Previously, reporters could move relatively freely throughout much of the Pentagon, observing officials and attending meetings in areas that are now restricted.

Under the new policy, escorts are required for sensitive areas, while the media retains access to the defense media office, the spokesman’s office and other general spaces.

Parnell stressed the operational security rationale. “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 to access those areas … These are pragmatic changes to protect operational security & ultimately brings the Pentagon in line with other government buildings,” he said

The changes have drawn criticism from media outlets, according to The Daily Wire.

In May, reporters from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Aviation Week objected, while CBS News’ Dan Martin suggested the rules might eventually entirely ban reporters.

Parnell countered: “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.”

On Sept. 5, Trump signed an executive order rebranding the US Department of Defense as the Department of War.

The change introduces “Department of War” and “Secretary of War” as secondary titles for use in official communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch.

The official legal names remain Department of Defense and secretary of defense, as only Congress can enact a formal renaming