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according to new information exclusively obtained by Newsweek. The Pentagon on Tuesday also said that the armed forces had surpassed 3,000 cases, more than doubling their number of people tested positive for coronavirus in less than a week's time. The scope of geographic spread among the military in the United States mirrors the civilian world and also shows few signs of abating.

The continued spread of coronavirus throughout the military, both in the United States and at overseas bases, has halted all non-essential movement, interrupted recruiting and basic training, and led to a virtual standstill in large scale activity. It has also led to draconian secrecy, justified as necessary to preserve operational security. But that policy of secrecy is now getting strong pushback, both from the communities around military bases as well as from lawmakers.

The latest Defense Department data show that 2,120 men and women in uniform have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The hardest hit service is the U.S. Navy, followed closely by the Army, Air Force, and finally the Marine Corps. Civilians working for the department make up the second largest overall group after those in uniform, followed by military dependents, and then by private contractors working at military facilities.

In the 41 states where the Defense Department reports coronavirus, nine states show over 100 cases in the larger military communities. Some of the hardest hit are the naval base complexes of San Diego, Norfolk, Virginia; and Jacksonville, Florida; the San Antonio, Texas area bases; and the naval bases of Washington state. A large number of cases are also being handled at Andrews air force base in Maryland and reflect medical support for military workers assigned throughout the Washington, DC area. Training facilities where recruits receive their basic training—in San Antonio and San Diego; and at the Army's Ft. Jackson, South Carolina are also other hotspots.

Two weeks ago, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper told Reuters that the military would stop providing "granular data" about coronavirus infections within its ranks. "What we want to do is give you aggregated numbers. But we're not going to disaggregate numbers because it could reveal information about where we may be affected at a higher rate than maybe some other places," he said.

The secretary's announcement was followed by official Reporting Guidance issued on March 31st, where Esper pledged that the military would do its best "to balance transparency in this crisis with operational security."

What happened instead of balancing, military sources and observers say, is that the flow of information to the public ground to a halt. No one wanted to put out any new data, risking the possibility of running afoul of Washington. And so almost immediately, announcements of new cases of coronavirus on military bases ceased. The Pentagon started to put out a daily tabulation of totals, but almost everyone else outside the Washington leadership, including local officials, found themselves in the dark.