The United States Department of Defence has barred journalists from its press office after reclassifying the space as a sensitive security area, in the latest move restricting media access since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said on Monday that the office had been redesignated as a “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” due to its use by speechwriters who handle classified information.

Valdez said these staff require access to SIPRNet, the secure network used by the Pentagon for classified communications.

“As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space,” he said in a statement.

He added that access to the office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and the Press Secretary would remain available by appointment only, referring to the Trump administration’s preferred title for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Washington Post first reported the change.

The decision is part of a series of steps taken by the administration to limit media access to military and government institutions.

In March, the Defence Department said it would no longer allow news organisations to maintain offices inside the Pentagon after a court ruling in favour of The New York Times in a lawsuit over new press credential rules.

The Pentagon has also introduced a requirement for journalists to be escorted inside the building, a policy that The New York Times is challenging in court.

The National Press Club called the latest restriction a “troubling escalation” in efforts to limit scrutiny of the Pentagon.

“Independent reporting on the US military is not optional,” said National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr.

He warned that reduced access would lead to less transparency and weaker public oversight.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation also criticised the move.

Seth Stern, the organisation’s chief of advocacy, said it was difficult to justify the classification of the press office space.

“It’s rare for anything other than disingenuous spin and outright lies to come out of the Pentagon’s press office these days,” he said, adding that the only “sensitive” aspect of its communications was their accuracy.