India, June 2 -- In a move that media advocacy groups are calling a "troubling escalation" of government secrecy, the US Defence Department has officially designated its press office a classified space. The decision, announced Monday, effectively bans journalists from entering the area, a room that has historically served as a primary point of contact between reporters and military public affairs officers.

Under the new policy, the space has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) to accommodate speechwriters who "routinely handle classified material."

Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the change, stating that the move was necessary to facilitate the use of the Secret Internet Proto...