Defense Department bars officials from left-leaning think tank events

The Pentagon on Thursday publicly announced it will no longer allow Defense Department officials to appear at events that do not align with the current presidential administration, and will instead thoroughly screen future programs.

The move comes a week after the Pentagon pulled all of its military speakers from the annual Aspen Security Forum, which the Trump administration has blasted as a "globalist" summit. The Aspen Institute is a left-leaning think tank, and has featured critics of President Donald Trump like former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

The order, which went into effect on Tuesday, has only directly impacted the Halifax International Security Forum in November so far, but Defense officials are still reviewing other national security summits, Politico reported.

"The days of 'business as usual' are OVER! The DOD's Office of Public Affairs will be conducting a thorough vetting of every event where Defense officials are invited to participate," Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson posted to X. "Going forward, no DOD official will attend events by America Last organizations that promote globalism and hate [Trump]."

The order applies to all civil servants, military officers and senior leaders. Attendance at future events will require the approval of the Pentagon’s public affairs team, and approved speakers will be asked to provide talking points for their speeches in advance.

The directive could also impact events held by nonprofit military associations, such as Sea Air Space and Modern Day Marine, but military officials are still seeking clarification on that aspect.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.