Pentagon tightens control on staff communication with US Congress

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has told Pentagon staff they must obtain permission before interacting with members of Congress, according to a congressional aide and a department memo.

The new policy was first reported by Breaking Defense, a digital news organization focused on global defense.

It is the latest example of the department working to control the flow of information about the world’s most powerful military.

“The Department of War relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals,” said the memo, dated October 15. 

“This requires coordination and alignment of Department message when engaging with Congress to ensure consistency and support for the Department’s priorities to re-establish deterrence, rebuild our military, and revive the warrior ethos,” it said.

Republican President Donald Trump announced that he was changing the name of the Defense Department to the Department of War, but the change will not be official until it is approved by Congress.

“This memo is a pragmatic step to internally review the Department’s processes for communicating with Congress,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “This review is for processes internal to the Department and does not change how or from whom Congress receives information.”

A congressional aide said lawmakers on committees that oversee the Pentagon were aware of the memo’s existence.

Last week, dozens of journalists who cover the Defense Department vacated their offices at the Pentagon and returned their credentials as new restrictions on press access took effect.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Nia Williams and Leslie Adler)