Most offices will require approval to communicate with Congress, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Joint Staff, the commanders of the combatant commands, and the secretaries of each military department, among others. There is a carve-out for the Office of the Inspector General, which is supposed to act independently. The digital publication Breaking Defense first reported on the memo.
The memo directs nearly all communication including requests for information from Congress to go through the assistant secretary for legislative affairs.
“Unauthorized engagements with Congress by [Defense Department] personnel acting in their official capacity, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives,” says the memo, which was also signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg. “Effective immediately,” the memo says affected offices “must coordinate all legislative affairs activities” through the assistant secretary for legislative affairs.