The Pentagon said on Tuesday it will appeal a federal judge's ruling temporarily blocking enforcement of a policy requiring all journalists to be accompanied by official escorts while inside the Defense Department headquarters.

"The Department strongly disagrees with today’s decision," chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

"This ruling strips away reasonable security measures and will make it easier for sensitive and classified information to reach our adversaries."

His remarks came after US District Judge Paul L. Friedman on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Defense Department from enforcing the escort requirement while The New York Times challenges the policy in court. In his ruling, Friedman concluded that the escort policy likely violates the First Amendment.

Parnell argued that allowing journalists to move through the Pentagon without escorts enabled them to observe activity patterns and develop relationships that contributed to repeated unauthorized disclosures of military operational plans and intelligence.

"The court's order effectively restores that risky environment at a time when protecting our military's secrets is more critical than ever," he said.

"The Department has a duty to safeguard classified information and our warfighters. We will appeal this decision in order to restore the Department’s ability to secure the Pentagon Reservation and prevent further harm to national security." (AA)

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