Navy withholding sailors' service history, in another curb on press access

Washington — The U.S. Navy is taking a major step to restrict press access to information about service members by no longer releasing information about any sailor's service history - information that has been freely offered by the service for decades.

The move, which officials say is being driven by increased security threats and harassment concerns, comes amid a host of other restrictions on press access largely driven by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The restrictions, which include a policy that reporters must be accompanied by an official escort on Pentagon grounds, are themselves playing out against a backdrop of escalating tension between President Trump and media outlets whose content or reporting practices anger him.

Last Thursday, the Navy's top spokesman, Rear Admiral John Robinson, released a policy that mandated the sea service remove all public-facing information about its commanding officers. Capt. Candice Thresh, a spokeswoman for the Chief of Naval Personnel, said the office had decided to expand the policy to deny access to any sailor's service information, in the interest of equality.

Thresh told The Associated Press that the Navy would still confirm whether someone is a sailor, but only if it deems the request "of high public interest," and no other details would be offered until the undefined threat has passed.

Information about sailors' service history, such as units they've been assigned to and awards they've earned - information the Navy says it will now withhold - is critical in providing information and context when service members are involved in major news events. It is also information that a constellation of federal laws and Pentagon policies say should be made available on request.

The Pentagon's governing document on its privacy program notes that information like a service member's rank, duty assignments, awards, and service status is categorized as information "that is normally releasable" and "may be disclosed without a clearly unwarranted invasion of their personal privacy."

However, Thresh, in an emailed statement, said they will now only release these details if the sailor is "a public figure or extenuating circumstances exist." These are terms that the Navy can define for itself, and early indications suggest the sea service is not inclined to use these exemptions.

First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams noted that the Navy's new policy could make reporting on wounded or injured sailors much more challenging. "That effort at suppression of speech is flatly inconsistent with the First Amendment," Abrams said.