The US Air Force has defended it decision to bar its personnel from accessing the websites of news organizations that published the classified documents that were recently exposed by WikiLeaks.

The Air Force authorities said that they had no intention to discriminate against any news organization or information website. Their aim was to ensure the security of their unclassified systems as well as to preserve classified information.

Commenting on the topic, Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Toni Tones said, “The primary purpose is to ensure the security of our unclassified systems and to safeguard classified information."

The Air Force’s reacted to severe criticism which it was facing since it blocked access to around 25 media websites that recently posted secret American cables exposed by WikiLeaks.

The websites that have been blocked from being accessed by the Air Force personnel includeThe New York Times, German magazine Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Spanish newspaper The El Pais and French newspaper The Le monde.

When the Air Force personnel try to use the service’s computers to access these media websites, they encounter the following message: “Access denied, Internet usage is logged & monitored.”

However, many have described the move as "pointless" as the Air Force personnel can easily access the blocked websites from their personal computers at home.