The Pentagon's bunker mentality
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during an Oval Office announcement Sept. 2. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Pentagon is clamping down on press access while simultaneously restricting where, when and how the military and civilian officials engage with the public.
Why it matters: It's a double whammy that could damage not only the public's understanding of national security matters and how taxpayer money is being spent, but also the department's own ability to drive narratives and wage information warfare.
- This is the Pentagon's bunker mentality.
Driving the news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a memo this month codified changes to how DOD handles "external engagements," noting that past participation in conferences and interviews "tended to canalize toward certain types of institutions."
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told Axios the directive is the result of a process that kicked off this summer "to thoroughly vet all external engagements to ensure the department does not lend its name and credibility to organizations, forums and events that run counter to the values of this administration."
- It comes as the Pentagon also rolls out rules that require reporters to sign a pledge not to gather information that hasn't been officially authorized for release, or risk losing their credentials.
Friction point: The moves come at a moment when tempers are already frayed.
- The Pentagon has held far fewer public press briefings than in previous administrations.
- It's replaced the offices of several mainstream outlets with friendlier, conservative networks.
- It's yanked military officials — last-minute — from well-established events, including the Aspen Security Forum and Defense News Conference.
- And Hegseth and others have taken every opportunity to bash the mainstream: media, think tanks, science.
What they're saying: "When you don't regularly brief and you just go on TV or to outlets that cater to just one audience, you are neglecting that there's a whole world stage out there that takes guidance from what the United States says," Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokesperson under the Biden administration, told Axios.
- "When you're restricting information and choking information off, it actually is going to come at your detriment."
Between the lines: Trump 2.0 is obsessed with appearances.
- The president has his "central casting" motif. Hegseth has his "warrior ethos" motto and his stars-and-stripes sartorial flair. Pentagon social media channels are bedazzled with hype videos.
Go deeper: Trump 2.0 refashions U.S. military muscle
