Defense Secretary James Mattis wants to ban cellphones in the Pentagon

Secretary of Defense James Mattis is reportedly considering banning personal cellphones from the Pentagon.

CNN reported Wednesday that Mattis wants to prohibit all U.S. military and civilian personnel from bringing their phones into the Defense Department headquarters, which is the largest office building in the world housing approximately 23,000 military and civilian workers. Mattis' request is under review, and a final decision has not yet been made.

Three Defense officials tasked with reviewing the issue told CNN the recent security breach of remote military bases by the fitness app Strava emphasized the need for the review, and it was ordered after Mattis communicated his goal of banning personal cellphones in the building.

Mattis had also been briefed recently about the risk of wearable devices and the use of smartphones by military personnel. The Department of Defense is currently reviewing a policy regarding the issue, Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning told reporters Monday.

Although there is no cellphone signal in most of the building, employees are required to leave their phones in locked boxes outside of any rooms with classified information or computers before entering. However, there have recently been improper use of cellphones in classified areas, two defense officials told CNN.

The discovery of the risk of cellphone vulnerabilities that led to the review is the same that led to the ban of staffers' personal cellphones in the White House's West Wing. That ban went into place earlier this month.

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