Pentagon makes press office a SCIF, limiting journalists

The Pentagon has designated its main press office a classified space, effectively barring journalists from entering an area that has long served as a hub for interactions between reporters and military public affairs officials. The change, confirmed by acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez, reclassifies the office as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF).

Valdez stated the redesignation was necessary because speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War now share the facility and routinely handle classified material requiring access to the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet). As a result, journalists are no longer permitted to enter the office space. Access to the press secretary and other public affairs officials is now available by appointment only.

This move is the latest in a series of restrictions on media access implemented under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. For decades, Pentagon reporters held credentials granting them wide, unescorted access to the building's corridors and press offices, allowing for daily, informal contact with spokespeople. That dynamic began shifting last October when the department imposed a...