In a highly unusual move aimed at tightening control over information leaving the Pentagon, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg have ordered all Department of Defense personnel — except those in the Office of the Inspector General — to route all communications and engagements with state officials and members of Congress through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs. The directive, outlined in an October 15 memo obtained by Breaking Defense, marks an unprecedented effort to centralize oversight of congressional and state-level interactions.