The US Department of Defense has redesignated its Pentagon press office as a classified facility, effectively barring journalists from entering the space in the latest move affecting media access within the Pentagon. The decision comes amid ongoing disputes between news organisations and the Trump administration over press freedoms and reporting restrictions.

Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the change in a post on X, stating that the office had been converted into a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). According to Valdez, the redesignation was necessary because speechwriters working for the Office of the Secretary of Defense now share the facility and routinely handle classified information as part of their duties.

Valdez dismissed suggestions that the move was controversial, arguing that restricting access to areas where classified material is handled is standard practice. As a result of the redesignation, journalists who previously had access to the press office will no longer be permitted to enter the workspace, though the Pentagon has maintained that the change is driven by security requirements rather than efforts to limit media activity.

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The development follows a series of measures that have tightened restrictions on reporters covering the Defense Department. Last October, many news organisations reportedly surrendered their access badges and left the Pentagon rather than accept new government-imposed restrictions on their reporting activities. The dispute has since expanded into a broader legal battle over press access.

The New York Times filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department on May 18, its second such legal challenge in five months. The newspaper argues that a policy requiring journalists to be escorted while on Pentagon grounds violates First Amendment protections and hampers independent reporting on military affairs. The suit follows an earlier challenge to restrictions introduced under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The legal dispute remains ongoing. A federal judge previously struck down certain restrictions imposed by the Pentagon and later ruled that an interim escort policy violated an earlier court order. However, the escort requirement remains in effect after an appeals court temporarily stayed part of that ruling while the government's appeal proceeds. The redesignation of the press office adds another chapter to the continuing debate over security, transparency, and media access within the US military establishment.

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