U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the formation of a joint task force between the Department of Defense (Pentagon) and the Department of Justice to investigate unauthorized leaks of sensitive information, identify those responsible, and pursue legal action against them.
In a post on Platform X, Hegseth stated that the task force will work to uncover the identities of leakers and take appropriate legal measures, emphasizing that leaking national defense information constitutes 'treason' and endangers the U.S. armed forces.
This move is part of a series of actions taken by the Pentagon over the past year to bolster oversight of information dissemination. In February 2025, the Pentagon announced the reorganization of journalists' workspaces within its headquarters, resulting in several media outlets being moved from their permanent offices to a separate press room.
In March of the same year, the department implemented new rules requiring journalists to coordinate their interactions with Pentagon employees through the press office. These steps were justified as necessary to protect classified information, though media organizations argued that the measures limited media access to their sources within the department.