Latest news with #JointChiefs
BreakingNews.ie
24-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Pete Hegseth orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon
Bedevilled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, defence secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late on Friday. They include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort, areas where the press has had access in past administrations, as it covers the activities of the world's most powerful military. Advertisement Newly restricted areas include his office and those of his top aides and all of the different locations across the mammoth building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force maintain press offices. The media will also be barred from the offices of the Pentagon's senior military leadership, including Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, without Mr Hegseth's approval and an escort from his aides. The staff of the Joint Chiefs has traditionally maintained a good relationship with the press. Mr Hegseth, the former Fox News Channel personality, issued his order via a posting on X late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. He said it was necessary for national security. Advertisement 'While the department remains committed to transparency, the department is equally obligated to protect (classified intelligence information) and sensitive information, the unauthorised disclosure of which could put the lives of U.S. service members in danger,' wrote Mr Hegseth. The Pentagon Press Association expressed scepticism that operational concerns were at play — and linked the move to previous actions by Mr Hegseth's office that impede journalists and their coverage. 'There is no way to sugarcoat it. Today's memo by Secretary Hegseth appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing,' it said in a statement on Friday night. 'The Pentagon Press Association is extremely concerned by the decision to restrict movement of accredited journalists within the Pentagon through non-secured, unclassified hallways.' Advertisement Mr Hegseth also said reporters will be required to sign a form to protect sensitive information and will be issued a new badge that more clearly identifies them as press. It was not clear whether signing the form would be a condition of continued access to the building. Two months ago, the department was embarrassed by a leak to The New York Times that billionaire Elon Musk was to get a briefing on the US military's plans in case a war broke out with China. That briefing never took place, on president Donald Trump's orders, and Mr Hegseth suspended two Pentagon officials as part of an investigation into how that news got out. Advertisement The Pentagon was also embarrassed when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in a group chat on the Signal messaging app where Mr Hegseth discussed plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Mr Trump's former national security adviser, Mike Waltz, took responsibility for Mr Goldberg being included and was shifted to another job. The administration has taken several aggressive actions toward the press since Mr Trump took over, including FCC investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News. Restrictions imposed on The Associated Press' access to certain White House events earlier this year led to a court battle that is ongoing. Advertisement President Donald Trump and secretary of defence Pete Hegseth (AP/Evan Vucci) The White House has also increased access for conservative media that are friendly to the president. Nevertheless, a study released earlier this month found that Mr Trump had more frequent exchanges with reporters during his first 100 days in office than any of his six predecessors. Mr Hegseth, however, has been far less available. He has yet to speak to the press in the Pentagon briefing room. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has held only one Pentagon press briefing since January 20. The Pentagon has taken other steps to make it more difficult for reporters, including taking office space away from eight media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth Clamps Down on Pentagon Press
Leak-prone Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has imposed new rules on journalists at the Pentagon. The rules limit access to several sections of the Pentagon, including office spaces belonging to Hegseth and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They also bar the press from accessing the Pentagon Athletic Center, writing in a Friday X post that the new rules are meant to 'reduce the opportunities for in-person inadvertent and unauthorized disclosures.' Journalists wanting to venture outside zones defined in the memo must be accompanied by a formal Department of Defense (DOD) escort. The news comes on the heels of a series of leaks from the DOD under Hegseth, including "Signalgate" in March, in which top Trump administration officials, including Hegseth, used the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss a then-upcoming attack on Yemen with a journalist on the thread. Other information that has recently leaked from the Pentagon includes military operational plans for the Panama Canal, the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Red Sea, information surrounding Elon Musk's visit to China, and news of a pause in intelligence-collection for Ukraine. As a result, according to a former Pentagon aide, Hegseth has become increasingly isolated and paranoid as he spends much of his time investigating leaks. Several Pentagon aides were placed on administrative leave last month following a probe into the 'turf war' that prompted the leaks and threw the Pentagon into chaos. Under the new rules, journalists will also be issued 'clearer' credential badges with a 'PRESS' identifier. The memo also states that additional security measures are forthcoming. Reposting Hegseth's announcement, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said, 'These are pragmatic changes to protect operational security & ultimately brings the Pentagon in line with other government buildings.' The Trump administration announced earlier this year that it was 'rotating out' four major news outlets from the Pentagon Press Corps, including The New York Times, NBC News, National Public Radio, and Politico. In their stead, The New York Post and HuffPost were added, as well as the conservative One America News Network and Breitbart News Network. President Donald Trump's attacks on the media recently resulted in the U.S. plummeting in the global press freedom index issued by Reporters Without Borders. The country now ranks 57th in the world, alongside countries like Gambia and Uruguay, with the group warning of an 'authoritarian shift' in the administration's treatment of the press.
Arab News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Defense Secretary Hegseth, bedeviled by leaks, orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon
Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort — areas where the press has had access in past administrations as it covers the activities of the world's most powerful military. Newly restricted areas include his office and those of his top aides and all of the different locations across the mammoth building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force maintain press offices. The media will also be barred from offices of the Pentagon's senior military leadership, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, without Hegseth's approval and an escort from his aides. The staff of the Joint Chiefs has traditionally maintained a good relationship with the press. Hegseth, the former Fox News Channel personality, issued his order via a posting on X late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. He said it was necessary for national security. 'While the department remains committed to transparency, the department is equally obligated to protect (classified intelligence information) and sensitive information, the unauthorized disclosure of which could put the lives of US service members in danger,' wrote Hegseth. The Pentagon Press Association expressed skepticism that operational concerns were at play — and linked the move to previous actions by Hegseth's office that impede journalists and their coverage. 'There is no way to sugarcoat it. Today's memo by Secretary Hegseth appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing,' it said in a statement Friday night. 'The Pentagon Press Association is extremely concerned by the decision to restrict movement of accredited journalists within the Pentagon through non-secured, unclassified hallways.' Hegseth also said reporters will be required to sign a form to protect sensitive information and would be issued a new badge that more clearly identifies them as press. It was not clear whether signing the form would be a condition of continued access to the building. Two months ago, the department was embarrassed by a leak to The New York Times that billionaire Elon Musk was to get a briefing on the US military's plans in case a war broke out with China. That briefing never took place, on President Donald Trump's orders, and Hegseth suspended two Pentagon officials as part of an investigation into how that news got out. The Pentagon was also embarrassed when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in a group chat on the Signal messaging app where Hegseth discussed plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Trump's former national security adviser, Mike Waltz, took responsibility for Goldberg being included and was shifted to another job. The administration has taken several aggressive actions toward the press since Trump took over, including FCC investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News. Restrictions imposed on The Associated Press' access to certain White House events earlier this year led to a court battle that is ongoing. The White House has also increased access for conservative media that are friendly to the president. Nevertheless, a study released earlier this month found that Trump had more frequent exchanges with reporters during his first 100 days in office than any of his six predecessors. Hegseth, however, has been far less available. He has yet to speak to the press in the Pentagon briefing room. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has held only one Pentagon press briefing since Jan. 20. The Pentagon has taken other steps to make it more difficult for reporters, including taking office space away from eight media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC.
Associated Press
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Defense Secretary Hegseth, bedeviled by leaks, orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon
Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort — areas where the press has had access in past administrations as it covers the activities of the world's most powerful military. Newly restricted areas include his office and those of his top aides and all of the different locations across the mammoth building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force maintain press offices. The media will also be barred from offices of the Pentagon's senior military leadership, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, without Hegseth's approval and an escort from his aides. The staff of the Joint Chiefs has traditionally maintained a good relationship with the press. Hegseth, the former Fox News Channel personality, issued his order via a posting on X late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. He said it was necessary for national security. 'While the department remains committed to transparency, the department is equally obligated to protect (classified intelligence information) and sensitive information, the unauthorized disclosure of which could put the lives of U.S. service members in danger,' wrote Hegseth. The Pentagon Press Association expressed skepticism that operational concerns were at play — and linked the move to previous actions by Hegseth's office that impede journalists and their coverage. 'There is no way to sugarcoat it. Today's memo by Secretary Hegseth appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing,' it said in a statement Friday night. 'The Pentagon Press Association is extremely concerned by the decision to restrict movement of accredited journalists within the Pentagon through non-secured, unclassified hallways.' Hegseth also said reporters will be required to sign a form to protect sensitive information and would be issued a new badge that more clearly identifies them as press. It was not clear whether signing the form would be a condition of continued access to the building. Two months ago, the department was embarrassed by a leak to The New York Times that billionaire Elon Musk was to get a briefing on the U.S. military's plans in case a war broke out with China. That briefing never took place, on President Donald Trump's orders, and Hegseth suspended two Pentagon officials as part of an investigation into how that news got out. The Pentagon was also embarrassed when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in a group chat on the Signal messaging app where Hegseth discussed plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Trump's former national security adviser, Mike Waltz, took responsibility for Goldberg being included and was shifted to another job. The administration has taken several aggressive actions toward the press since Trump took over, including FCC investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News. Restrictions imposed on The Associated Press' access to certain White House events earlier this year led to a court battle that is ongoing. The White House has also increased access for conservative media that are friendly to the president. Nevertheless, a study released earlier this month found that Trump had more frequent exchanges with reporters during his first 100 days in office than any of his six predecessors. Hegseth, however, has been far less available. He has yet to speak to the press in the Pentagon briefing room. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has held only one Pentagon press briefing since Jan. 20. The Pentagon has taken other steps to make it more difficult for reporters, including taking office space away from eight media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC. ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at and
Jordan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Army chief, ICRC discuss cooperation
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti on Thursday meets with a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jordan (Petra photo) AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti on Thursday met with a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jordan, headed by Sarah Avrillaud, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and coordination in humanitarian efforts. The meeting, held at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), focused on advancing cooperation in the delivery of humanitarian aid, the implementation of relief programs, and the exchange of expertise in international humanitarian law. Huneiti highlighted the ICRC's vital role in providing support to communities affected by conflicts and disasters, and commended the ongoing partnership between JAF and the ICRC across various humanitarian domains, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Avrillaud, in turn, expressed appreciation for the JAF's contributions to humanitarian work and emphasised the importance of continued collaboration to achieve shared humanitarian objectives.
