WASHINGTON, DC—Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has issued an unprecedented and unsound requirement that Pentagon reporters sign a form acknowledging a policy forbidding them from gathering or publishing unapproved information—including unclassified material—under threat of losing their press credentials.

In response, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“The American people pay for our defense in both blood and treasure, and they deserve journalists who can ask tough questions of our military leaders without fear or favor. A free and fair press is essential to our nation, but Secretary Hegseth is attempting to shut down independent reporting with these coercive restrictions.

“This ongoing effort to censor the Pentagon press corps is affront to the U.S. military’s proud tradition of accountability and to the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.

“Our troops serve at great personal risk, and the free press has a fundamental role in ensuring that our civilian and uniformed leaders wield their authority responsibly. With an annual defense budget approaching $1 trillion, the American people have every right to know how their money is being spent.

“It speaks volumes that so many respected outlets have refused to sign this misguided order. Mr. Hegseth and his team have missed the mark legally and morally, and they should immediately abandon this policy and restore the Pentagon’s longstanding commitment to independent press access.

“The Secretary of Defense should lead by example with seriousness and integrity, not secrecy and suspicion.”