Pentagon halting research/think tank participation shows concerning institutional isolation patterns. Constitutional drivers: rule_of_law (2.5) for restricting normal governmental transparency mechanisms, separation (3.0) for limiting executive branch engagement with independent oversight/research entities, capture (3.5) for potential insulation from external scrutiny and expertise, civil_rights (1.0) for indirect effects on academic freedom, corruption (1.5) for reducing accountability channels. Norm erosion mechanism applies 0.85 modifier. Severity: durability 1.1 (policy can persist), reversibility 0.95 (administratively reversible), precedent 1.15 (sets concerning template for institutional isolation). Base 11.5 → final A=10.8. B-score: Layer1 shows moderate media appeal (novelty 4.0 for unusual restriction, media_friendliness 3.5, outrage_bait 3.0). Layer2 strategic value moderate (pattern_match 2.5 with broader institutional control narratives). Intentionality 4/15 for institutional isolation patterns, modulating to 0.13 weight. Final B=10.3. Both scores below 25 threshold. Single headline with minimal detail, no clear mechanism of constitutional harm beyond administrative policy change, highly reversible, lacks specificity on scope/rationale. Classification: Noise due to insufficient information and below-threshold scores despite concerning directional signals.