The Pentagon announced on Friday that it will only grant journalists access to its facilities if they agree not to publish certain information—an unprecedented measure that gives the Department of Defense, now rebranded as the Department of War, broad control over the content released.

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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell explained in an email to multiple newsrooms that reporters will be required to sign a pledge not to disclose classified information or documents deemed sensitive, even if they are not officially labeled as secret.

The rule is set to take effect within two to three weeks and will apply to all media outlets covering the Department of War headquarters.

“The press does not run the Pentagon, the people do,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X Friday night. He added that if journalists do not carry identification, “they can go home.”

In May, Hegseth imposed stricter limits on press access to the Pentagon following leaks about U.S. attacks in Yemen, and this week the Trump Administration escalated its confrontation with the media as President Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times—moves critics say reflect a continuing erosion of press freedom.

The U.S. government also reportedly pressured ABC this week to indefinitely suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s show after he criticized the Republican response to the assassination of ultraconservative activist Charlie Kirk.

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